Imagine, if you will, America’s cities being turned into battlefields. The sidewalks where average civilians once walked would be turned into paths for U.S. soldiers armed with weapons and bulletproof armor. The cars that once filled the streets would be replaced with military vehicles and tanks. Scattered fires and broken windows would be something you would see on every other block.

Sounds dark, doesn’t it? Truth be told, it may one day become a reality. (RELATED: Read about how martial law may soon be introduced in America)

Given the amount of political protests that occur today, many of which turn violent and downright destructive, the military is dedicating more and more time to train for urban warfare. Should one of America’s major cities fall apart at the hands of a massive, out of control riot, the United States military will need to go in and restore order. (RELATED: Did you know that food riots have already begun?)

In Southern Indiana, the U.S. army owns and operates a 1000-acre urban warfare training center, which contains more than 1,500 “training structures.” These structures are meant to simulate houses, apartment buildings, schools, hospitals, and other facilities that you would typically find in urban areas of the country. In 2015, it was reported that the U.S. military was conducting urban warfare training in Broward County, Florida. 200 military personal participated in the training, the goal of which was to prepare soldiers for battle in unfamiliar areas overseas. According the military, these urban locations couldn’t be replicated on a practice battlefield.

Major John Spicer is a former Ranger Instructor and scholar at West Point’s Modern War Institute. In an op-ed piece published just days ago, Spicer reminded readers that up until recently, armies have fought for cities rather than inside of cities. Today, however, “many armies have accepted that global population growth and urbanization trends will increasingly force military operations into crowded cities, and military forces must therefore be capable of conducting the full range of operations in large, dense urban areas.”

Of course, there is both an upside and a downside to a military that is prepping for urban warfare. The obvious advantage is that in the event of a massive riot where one of America’s major cities is teetering on the brink of collapse, the military would be able to restore order in a relatively short amount of time. This could save hundreds or even thousands of lives, and help prevent physical damage to personal property.

The question is, once the military successfully restored order, would it withdraw from the city and return the streets to the people? Typically, the federal government is only interested in accumulating power; it rarely volunteers to surrender it on its own. If this were the case, it would inevitable lead to serious infringements on individual liberty and civil rights.

There are many people in this country who are very fearful of the idea of a military takeover in America. There have been television shows created about it, and thousands of personal stories can be found online of people who are taking every precaution. Often referred to as “preppers,” these people spend thousands of dollars building underground bunkers, escape vehicles and makeshift weapons to use should society one day collapse. Most preppers have very elaborate escape routes as well, leading them to safe, often remote locations, away from civilization.

Should America’s major cities one day be taken over by the United States military, virtually no one would be immune from the inevitable looting, riots and chaos that would take place. It makes sense then, that if you a prepper, the smartest thing to do would be to make arrangements to seek refuge as far from the city as one can possibly get.

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Sources:

SHFTplan.com

GlobalResearch.ca

Sun-Sentinal.com