Threats & Challenges

Wildfires are only one of the major threats and challenges that the nation addresses very inadequately. America had been a Beacon of Freedom to many, yet today it fails to live up to its credo, “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” It is wracked with turmoil ranging from an out-of-control pandemic to racial and political unrest that has resulted in violence even in the sacred halls of its Capitol. Its economic system concentrates wealth at the top levels of society, while millions struggle for a living wage and governments at all levels have inadequate resources. Since the overwhelming Soviet threat of nuclear devastation receded into the background, the nation faces a wide range of diffuse threats including Islamic radicalism, autocratic governments, global refugee flows, cyber intrusions, and global warming. A National Strategy is badly needed to balance the allocation of resources to best address the totality of threats and challenges facing the nation. That is the focus of this book.