This, of course, is all out of our hands. The decisions to join in global conflicts aren't made by folks like us, and civil war is another matter altogether. So what is a prepper to do?

Well, we can't stop the drums of war, but we can prepare for the potential of war. That is something over which we have control and I'd rather focus on what I can control than worry incessantly about things that are not within my power.

Why I'm prepping for war
A friend of mine has been researching shortages from WW2, and that's a great place to start. In America, we faced the rationing of things such as food, shoes, metal, paper, and rubber. The priority was given to the soldiers, and whatever was left over was divvied up by civilians. I'm not sure we will have the exact same shortages this time, as war, like many other things, has moved into the digital age, but soldiers will still need food, shoes, rubber things like tires, and metal for manufacturing vehicles and weapons.

What with things being digital, a wise person might also look into things that require motherboards and circuits – computers, other devices, and vehicles.

It's important to note that the Defense Production Act is already in place to force our factories to produce what is needed for national defense and prioritize national defense customers over civilians.

We don't know if this conflict will all be fought overseas or if it will creep onto our shores. In my opinion, it's best to prepare for the worst-case scenario and hope that it doesn't happen.

Here's where I'm putting my money right now as far as preps are concerned.

Food

One of the first things that will likely be rationed or in shortage would be food. I'm beefing up the preps for my family by shopping the sales, packing things away as carefully as possible to prevent degradation and pests, and filling my small home to the rafters. Here's the strategy I use for prepping with food. If money is tight, this book will help, too.

Many people will be promoting extremely expensive purchases of long-term food in buckets. While that is certainly one way to do it, it's not the tastiest, nor is it the most nutritious, nor is it affordable. I do have a number of food buckets, but this is my last-resort food, purchased because it will sit there for a long time without spoiling. We all have different strategies here, and if this makes you feel more secure and you can afford it, here is a package designed to last one person for six months. Another benefit to this type of supply is that it's easily portable and takes up less space.