Knosha

Mike Sunnucks of the Phoenix Business Journal writes, “The economy is in recession. Consumer spending is down, foreclosures are up and a host of businesses are laying off workers and struggling with tight credit and the troubled housing and financial markets. The U.S. Federal Reserve Bank and U.S. Treasury Department have pumped more than $8.5 trillion into the economy via equity purchases of bank stocks, liquidity infusions, Wall Street and bank bailouts and taxpayer rebates. U.S. automakers are seeking more than $14 billion in federal loans with fears they could fall into bankruptcy without a bailout. The U.S. housing and subprime lending-induced recession also has hit economies in Europe, Japan and China.”

In light of this he mentions how a new report by the U.S. Army War College, which came out this past month, talks about “the possibility of Pentagon resources and troops being used should the economic crises lead to civil unrest, such as protests against businesses and government or runs on beleaguered banks.”

The War College Report states that “Widespread civil violence inside the United States would force the defense establishment to reorient priorities in extremis to defend basic domestic order and human security.”

The Full 51 Page War College Report Known Unknowns: Unconventional “Strategic Shocks” in Defense Strategy Development can be downloaded.  It is authored by Mr. Nathan P. Freier, a Visiting Professor of Strategy, Policy and Risk Assessment at the U.S. Army’s Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute and a Senior Fellow in the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).  Mr. Freier joined CSIS in April 2008 after retiring from the U.S. Army after 20 years as a lieutenant colonel.

The report “is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States, Section 101.  As such, it is in the public domain, and under the provisions of Title 17, United States Code, Section 105, it may not be copyrighted.  It should be noted that Mr. Freier states that  “The views expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government. This report is cleared for public release; distribution is unlimited.”