By Ed Haugland Endorsed
By Paul E Vallely, MG US Army (Ret)
Armageddon is defined as “the site or time of a final and conclusive battle between the forces of good and evil”1 We are indeed in the midst of a centuries-long battle between good and evil, primarily a cognitive war occurring domestically and globally. In its current state, this ongoing battle brings to the forefront the real possibility of America’s Armageddon – not decades from now, but next week, next month, or in the next year! Why do I believe this?
Let me start with the premise that we must continually assess, imagine, and project where we are heading as a society. If we have no long-term strategy, we must ask who guides our country and to what end. If we have no strategy, we defer to the strategy that our adversary’s layout. We wait to their vision of the future. We defer to their driving the agenda – as we can only react. And reacting, being a defensive maneuver, is a losing proposition. So continued assessment, imagination, and projection are essential if we are to consider the strategic consequences of our inaction, especially given that we lack a long-term strategy for US national security.
To this point, I must harken back to a key finding from the 9-11 Commission. Over two decades ago, the 9-11 Commission stated the f our Intelligence Community – that “A ‘failure of imagination’ was the greatest problem that allowed the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, to happen.” So, as I assess, imagine, and project what is next for America – and as I do so, I am frightened by what is the most obvious of outcomes. We are on the precipice of America’s Armageddon by 202X – fill in the blank.