Chapter 1622 Food Problem
Given Alaska's position, an attack on East Africa would likely only be possible with intercontinental missiles and strategic bombers, both of which are currently impossible. This is why Alaska's strategic advantage, as mentioned earlier, cannot be effectively realized technically.
If it had been after the late 20th century, Ernst would definitely not have given Japan this opportunity. In 1936, the situation was completely different. Even if Japan occupied Alaska, it would only be used against the United States and the Soviet Union.
Of course, given the character of the Japanese army, this might bring disaster to the people of Alaska, but it is unavoidable.
Crown Prince Friedrich sighed and said, "Even if the Empire deploys more troops and more advanced military facilities in Alaska, it cannot guarantee local security."
"Alaska is isolated overseas, making it the hardest place for mainland military forces to reach. Coupled with its harsh climate, it is also not suitable for large-scale military deployments. Logistics are an unsolvable problem."
Alaska's agriculture cannot even achieve self-sufficiency, so let alone supporting the army, the food security of local people may not be guaranteed in wartime.
Crown Prince Friedrich's words instantly reminded Ernst, and his face suddenly turned ugly.
"In the next few years, Alaska's development focus should be further placed on solving its food security problem."
"Otherwise, if Alaska really falls into enemy hands, it could cause a large-scale humanitarian disaster, which is not what we want to see."
Although Alaska is an "abandoned child" in Ernst's plan, this does not mean that he does not care about the lives of the Alaskan people.
After all, given Japan's beastly behavior, there is a high probability that Japan will exploit Alaska in the later stages of the war when various resources are extremely scarce.
If this really happened, the enemy and local residents might snatch rations, and once the transportation channel to Alaska was cut off, too many people would die, which was something Ernst was unwilling to accept.
He said: "Send a message to the Alaska government, asking them to make a plan for Alaska's food security and come up with some practical measures to prevent such extreme situations from happening in the future."
…
The East African government's instructions have obviously posed a problem for the Alaskan government. Food security has always been Alaska's main shortcoming, and solving this problem is extremely difficult.
Alaska Governor's Palace.
Governor Drawhorser was very troubled when he saw the documents issued by the central government. He could only call on local officials and agricultural experts to brainstorm and come up with a solution together.
"Ladies and gentlemen, there is only one topic we need to discuss at this meeting, and that is how to ensure food security in Alaska."
"Although Alaska doesn't normally have a food supply problem, this is all based on the premise that our connection with the Empire remains intact."
"However, with the current turbulent world situation, the security situation in the North Pacific is escalating. The confrontation between the Soviet Union, Japan, and the United States may sooner or later turn into a war covering the entire North Pacific."
"Once this happens, Alaska could be in danger. Therefore, how to ensure Alaska's basic food security when its connection with the mainland is cut off will become a severe test that we have to face."
Everyone present became a little nervous after hearing what Governor Drawhorser said, because war was a very distant word for Alaska.
Amos, the director of the Alaska government's Department of Agriculture, frowned and asked, "Your Excellency, isn't this an exaggeration? War is a very unfamiliar term for Alaska. After all, Alaska has never encountered such a situation before."
"Alaska has been peaceful for over sixty years, and we have the Empire's support. The Empire is the most powerful country in the world. No country would dare to take the risk of offending the Empire and attack us."
"Even if it's the United States and the Soviet Union, they can't go to war over Alaska and the Empire. After all, if these three countries fight, it will be World War II, and there will be no possibility of easing!"
Drawhorser replied calmly, "Director Amos, I didn't say there would definitely be a war in Alaska. I just assumed a possibility."
"It's true that there aren't many countries in this world that dare to offend the Empire, but that doesn't mean there aren't any. Furthermore, even a country that appears to be friendly to us might change its attitude due to a change in leadership."
"Just like in the Tsarist Russia era, after they sold Alaska, they never showed any greed for Alaska, but now in the Soviet Union, there are more people with ulterior motives."
"So no one can guarantee what will happen in the North Pacific tomorrow. More importantly, if an emergency does occur, it will be difficult for the Empire to provide us with support in a short period of time."
"Therefore, we must make corresponding contingency plans to avoid being completely unprepared when an accident really happens. Are you satisfied with this answer?"
After hearing this explanation, Director Amos nodded without any objection.
Drawhorser continued, "Just now I used the Soviet Union as an example, but in fact the two countries that pose the greatest threat to Alaska are Japan and the United States."
"In the struggle for supremacy in the North Pacific, the United States and Japan are the protagonists. Unfortunately, Alaska's geographical location is right at the critical juncture of the confrontation between these two countries."
"Whoever controls Alaska will have dominance and strategic advantage in dealing with another country."
At present, there are only two competitors for hegemony in the North Pacific, namely the United States and Japan. The Soviet Navy is weak, and the Far Eastern Empire is even weaker.
East Africa's Pacific Fleet is quite powerful, but it needs to be expanded to the entire Pacific Ocean to have a sense of presence. In the North Pacific, East Africa can only be said to have little deterrent power.
In the future, East Africa will most likely not have much presence in the North Pacific, and this is naturally not a key strategic direction for the East African Navy to play a role.
In the long run, there are only two countries that can play a leading role in the North Pacific, one is the United States and the other is the Far Eastern Empire, but this time span may be as long as decades or even hundreds of years, that is, until the Far Eastern Empire is revived.
The Far Eastern Empire has no chance at the moment. In the next at least 30 years, the Far Eastern Empire Navy's presence in the North Pacific may even be lower than that of the Soviet Union and East Africa, two countries with non-Pacific core interests.
"Therefore, Alaska's security always has hidden dangers. We can't place all our hopes on the Empire's homeland. For Alaska's security, we must address the hidden danger of food security. Everyone can express their opinions and come up with effective solutions."
Dobler, an expert at the Alaska Agricultural Research Institute, pushed up his glasses and said, "Your Excellency, if we want to solve Alaska's food security problem, we must undoubtedly develop our local agriculture, expand food production, and reduce our reliance on foreign food imports."
Governor Drawhorsl asked, "Professor Dobler, if you have any reliable suggestions, please share them. After all, you are an expert in the field of agriculture in Alaska."
Dobler didn't refuse: "If we want to expand food production, all we need is more arable land. Right now, the potential of Alaska's arable land has not been fully tapped."
"I have two general solutions to this problem. One is to speed up the reclamation of the lowland areas around Anchorage. Although the land and climate in the lowland areas around Anchorage are not ideal, it is still possible to grow some cold-resistant crops."
"Then we should accelerate the promotion of greenhouse cultivation technology. However, greenhouse construction costs are higher. However, if we pursue food security rather than economic benefits, I think the appropriate large-scale promotion of greenhouse agriculture is feasible."
"Both plans require government intervention. After all, Alaska itself is not a suitable area for agricultural development. To overcome natural limitations, large-scale projects are necessary."
"Especially for development work in the lowlands around Anchorage, we need to conquer a lot of old-growth forests and wetlands before the summer."
"It requires a large number of manpower and engineering machinery to complete this large and complex agricultural development project in a relatively short period of time."
Governor Drawhorst agreed with his proposal. He believed that the reason why Alaska could feed two million people was due to its long-term investment in local agriculture.
You should know that in the 21st century, the US population in Alaska was less than one million, but now Alaska can support two million people, which shows the brilliant achievements made by the Alaskan government in agriculture.
Of course, in the past, the United States did not attach importance to the agricultural development of Alaska, because Americans had better options. Their homeland was very close to Alaska, so there was no need to mess with Alaska’s agriculture. They could just buy whatever they needed from the local area.
At the same time, in the past, the communication channels between Alaska and the mainland of the United States could not be cut off, so there was no need to consider the security risks of food imports.
For example, in the most extreme case, if the US Pacific Navy is severely damaged, the United States can still communicate with Alaska by land. To put it bluntly, Canada in the middle is not much different from the United States' own backyard.
After entering the 21st century, the United States no longer needed to worry about this problem because its aviation transportation industry was more developed at the time and was fully capable of providing supplies and materials to Alaska by air.
With triple security from land, sea and air, and the small population of Alaska itself, the United States has no motivation to develop local agriculture if it controls Alaska.
Alaska, which was under the rule of East Africa, had a completely different early development path. It started with agriculture, absorbed immigrants from the Far East Empire, and then slowly developed wasteland, eventually developing to its current population size.
This means that the Alaska government itself has experience in agricultural development, and what the Alaska government needs to do now is to further expand it.
Dobler continued, "Agricultural technology is advancing rapidly, and mechanization has increased significantly. Given this, it's feasible for the government to open up more farmland. We don't lack labor, so we just need the government to mobilize it."
After more than 60 years of development, Alaska's population has expanded to two million. It can be said that this is the peak period of Alaska's population. However, it is certainly impossible to get current Alaskan residents to participate in land reclamation work through market forces, and the cost is not something the Alaskan government can afford.
Therefore, Dobler used the word "mobilization", which meant to treat the Alaskan land reclamation work as a war.
Regarding this, Governor Drawhorser said sternly, "I will report this method to the mainland. If it is approved, it should be implemented. Do you have any other ideas?"
Director Ludwig of the Commerce Department then spoke up, "Your Excellency, I also have an idea. It should be feasible and inexpensive."
Governor Drawhosl's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, "Director Ludwig, what is your solution?"
Director Ludwig responded, "To address food security, we should avoid the misconception that we don't necessarily have to produce all our own food. Alaska itself is an agricultural importer."
"So, if we want to ensure food security, we can completely solve it through stockpiling. This involves two aspects. One is that our government establishes war-ready granaries, prepares a large amount of food in advance, and seals it up. In case of emergencies, this food can be used."
Ludwig's method immediately attracted the attention of Governor Drouhosl because it was indeed a very effective approach.
However, he suppressed his excitement and waited for Ludwig to finish speaking.
"Then, at the grassroots level, Alaskan residents should also consciously store grain at home. This will further improve Alaska's food security and spread the risk to thousands of households. Even if our wartime granaries have problems, it will provide an additional line of defense."
"The former is easy to accomplish, but the latter requires cultivating Alaskans' own awareness of food storage. We can also guide this through public opinion, or simply send government officials to guide residents in doing so."
There is no doubt that compared with Dobler's agricultural development plan, Ludwig's grain storage plan is more feasible and can be implemented without too high a cost.
Governor Drawhors also conducted an in-depth analysis of the two options: "Agricultural development is a long-term investment. If it can be completed, we can sustain it even if Alaska falls into a long-term blockade."
"The grain storage plan, on the other hand, is time-sensitive. Under a blockade, it can only last three to five years at most. Therefore, if the two are effectively combined, Alaska's food security problem will be solved."
"Of course, as an overseas territory of the Empire, I think the probability of it being blocked for more than five years should be extremely small."
As a world power, East Africa is not a pushover. So if Alaska is blockaded or occupied, East Africa will definitely find a way to rescue it instead of just watching and doing nothing.
Therefore, Governor Drawhorst and others should consider short-term risks more. In this way, Ludwig's grain storage plan will be given more attention. As for developing local agriculture in Alaska, it must be done, but there is no need to be so urgent and nervous.
(End of this chapter)
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