Obsolescence

THE WORLD'S MILITARIES are running our of members, equipment, and money. This is particualrly the case in russia, which since world war two has maintained perhaps the world's mightiest military, but which can't last much longer.

After the break up of the soviet union in 1990 the birth rate in russia declined, as couples decided to postpone child bearing during uncertain economic and political times. Russia, like the rest of the world, is becoming a land of aging, with more older people, and fewer young people. It is the young who go off to war, fight, and die. Russia is running out of potential cannon fodder.

If we wish to continue hostilities, we might well have to start allowing senior citizens to engage in combat and "defense", which is a code word for combat. Within a few decades the world will consist of people who strived relentlessly for early retirement, only to discover that there are not enough working people to maintain the infrastructure necessary for retiree's support systems.

Batallions of slow moving elderly soldiers, ferociously fighting in slow motion.The resources needed to support a world of old people and to save the environment from our industrial processes will be hard pressed to fuel military machines.

There are as many as twenty million AK47 assault rifles in the world, using a design over forty years old, and they are less accurate and powerful than modern weapons. What are the russians going to do with all of these weapons?

All over the world, terrorists and gangsters are using the AKs, their weapon of choice. For the purposes of military use, they can only be upgraded and modified to a limited degree. The same is true of every other weapons system in the world, eventually.

The obvious choice is to beat swords into plowshares, and move to an age beyond fear and armed conflict. At least, until a more acceptable arrangement is implemented.