[bigDinosaur]

That's true, although isn't the thing here that they plan for realistic worst-case scenarios, which is the scary part? There are probably lots of worse worst-case scenarios which they'll never do much preparation because they're so unlikely. War with China does not seem to be that unlikely.

[credit_guy]

> War with China does not seem to be that unlikely

Well, the more the US prepares for it, the more unlikely it is. Or, the best way to win a fight is to convince the other guy it's not worth fighting.

[V__]

> because they're so unlikely

Or because the outcomes might be so bad, it's not worth it to prepare for it.

[Cacti]

you think war between two nuclear powers is likely?

[pnpnp]

Playing devil’s advocate - this was thought to be a real possibility during the Cold War, and it seems like we came pretty close a few times during that period.

[yumraj]

A nuclear war between two nuclear powers is different from a conventional war between two nuclear powers.

The former is, hopefully, unlikely unless one side feels there’s an existential crisis or a major loss. The latter is extremely likely.

Though the latter can definitely escalate into the former.