Alright, picture this. One day, everything’s normal—coffee’s brewing, emails are annoying as usual, and the world is just spinning along. Then, out of nowhere, boom—the lights go out. Not just at your place, but everywhere. No power. No internet. No cell service.
An EMP strike? A massive cyberattack? Who knows. But one thing’s clear: the U.S. is in deep trouble. And when a country as big as America stumbles, you better believe the wolves start circling. Russia, China—they’d be licking their chops, looking for the perfect moment to take advantage.
Sounds crazy, right? Maybe. But let’s break it down.
How Could the U.S. Collapse?
It’s not widely acknowledged just how much America’s power grid and infrastructure are super fragile. It wouldn’t take much to send us back to the Dark Ages.
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EMP Attack – One or more nukes detonated high in the atmosphere, and poof—much of the electrical grid gets fried. No power for months, maybe years. No gas. No water. No groceries. Total chaos.
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Cyber Warfare – Imagine China, Russia, Iran, or some other adversary hacking into power plants, banks, and communication networks all at once. No ATMs, no emergency services, no way to coordinate a response. It’d be a slow-motion train wreck that could escalate quickly.
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Supply Chain Collapse – No trucks running means no food on the shelves. Cities would fall apart in days. People would panic, and things would get ugly—fast.
And once America’s on its knees? Well, that’s when the real trouble starts.
Would China and Russia Invade?
Why wouldn’t they? If the U.S. government couldn’t even keep the lights on, what’s stopping them from grabbing whatever they want?
China’s West Coast Takeover
China loves playing the long game. They wouldn’t roll in with tanks right away. They’d probably “help” first—sending in troops to “stabilize” key ports. Before anyone realized what was happening, they’d be in full control of:
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Los Angeles & Long Beach – The biggest shipping ports in the U.S. Without them, we’d be completely cut off from supplies.
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Seattle & Tacoma – Another huge trade hub. Plus, controlling it would give them a military foothold in the Pacific Northwest.
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San Diego – Home to a major U.S. naval base. If China took it, we’d lose control of the West Coast entirely.
And let’s be real—who’s gonna stop them? The National Guard? Most of them would be busy dealing with riots, looters, and a total breakdown of law and order.
Russia’s Move from the North & East
Russia wouldn’t sit this one out either. They’d probably go for:
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Alaska’s oil fields – It’s practically next door, and they’d want that fuel supply.
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Cyber strikes on the East Coast – Taking down communications so America couldn’t coordinate a fightback.
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“Little Green Men” – Russia loves using shadow forces—think mercenaries and special ops disguised as civilians—to stir up chaos before an invasion.
Would Americans Fight Back?
Oh, hell yes. If you think Americans are just gonna sit back and let it happen, you don’t know America. Resistance would largely be dependent on location and the culture of the region.
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Veterans, hunters, and militias would be out there guerrilla-warfare style, making life miserable for any occupying force.
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Rural towns and preppers would be better off than cities since they already have food, supplies, and above-average firearms and ammunition supply.
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The military would regroup—even if the government collapsed, U.S. soldiers wouldn’t just disappear. Bases in Texas, the Midwest, and the South would probably become rally points for resistance forces.
There would be so many moving parts to any potential scenario. Trying to predict specifics is impossible, but, theories can certainly be developed.
Could the U.S. Ever Recover?
It’d be tough. But not impossible.
The first few months or years would be brutal. Millions would struggle just to survive. Local groups would start taking control of their own areas. A new government would be built(possibly multiple in different regions). Little by little, the country would claw its way back.
Would it ever be the same? No. One thing is for sure – those who prepare ahead of time and can be as self-reliant as possible will fare much better than the rest.
So, what do you think? Could we stop an invasion? Would we even stand a chance? Let’s hear it!
Take care all –
Rourke
At first, after people realize what’s happening and mobilize into groups yes we will. Even in the Revolutionary War all the smalls and villages mobilized, luckily the had seen the war clouds and put supplies, weapons, trained with them and had picked leaders. Did they start off shaky, yes, but they learned and overcame the odds and here we are today and may have live it all over again and this time it can never happen again by building on our Constitution and laws.
Thanks John P.
“PITY THE FOOL”
MR.’T’ Circa 70’s
“We Shall overcome”
Circa 60’s
Loved the A-Team with BA!
Valid scenarios regarding events that could trigger a collapse in the US. However, your invasion scenarios appear to be based on no resistance to what would necessarily be a large invasion fleet’s transit of the Pacific Ocean to seize key locations on the West Coast. Normandy was successful in part due to the short distance between England and France. All those Chinese and Russian troop ships would be siting ducks for interdiction plodding across the Pacific. Second, China is still trying to get enough transports for even an assault on Taiwan – let alone the US.
Thanks Verne. I agree – the scenario is not perfect and can be looked at via many perspectives. This is one of the reasons I enjoy scenarios – gets you thinking.
Take care. R
The south would resist – not sure about the rest of the country.
Like I said before China would just set back for a year and wait for the 90% predicted die off if they were behind it. 33 million Americans would be a lot easier to handle then 330 million for sure. The United States would cease to exist as we know it. However, I cannot see us not evening the playing field early on with our own retaliatory EMP weapons strikes over all of our enemies from our Boomer fleet hiding out in the oceans. I think our subs are the equation that would keep China and Russin in check and deter such attach from one of them. Disruption of our commerce via cyber warfare from a state actor that cover their tracks in more likely.