The United States has fought many wars in its history, 102 to be exact. However, not since 1916 and the Mexican American War has there been an attempt to invade the US. But as international tensions rise and America appears to have more enemies around the world, could we ever see an invasion of United States? … In fact, no. America simply cannot be invaded, and here’s why…
1. America’s Military Strength
The first reason why the United States could never be invaded is because America’s military is so strong.
The US has the most powerful armed forces in the world. Although other countries may have more troops, the size of America’s army combined with its advanced technology makes it incredibly difficult to defeat. This is one of the biggest reasons why another country could not invade the US.
In order to launch an invasion of America, an enemy country would need to defeat most of the US military. There is almost no country in the world that could do this. America also has military bases all over the world – further making an invasion of the mainland United States practically impossible.
Another reason why America’s military strength makes it impossible to invade is the size of the US nuclear arsenal. America has 4018 nuclear warheads, more than any other country. If the US was invaded, it could use these to defend itself, essentially annihilating any country that attempted to land troops on its territory.
2. America Is Too Large
The second reason why America cannot be invaded is because of its size.
The United States is enormous. The continental US is 9.834 million square kilometres. A country that big is very difficult to invade. There is no army in the world that is powerful enough to launch an invasion of a country as big as America.
As well as being too large to successfully invade, the size of the United States would make it impossible to occupy. There are too many major cities and large expansive rural areas for an army to control. Any invasion of the US would fail as the US is so large.
If a country planned to invade America it would only launch the attack if it thought it likely to succeed. There is no army in the world large enough to conquer the United States. The sheer size of the United States would deter almost any country in the world from trying to invade it.
3. The Geography Of The United States
The third reason why the US could not be invaded is because of its geography.
As well as being an enormous country, the US geography is difficult for invaders to conquer. To the east and west of the United States are oceans. Both the Pacific and North Atlantic oceans are huge and would be impossible for an invading army to cross.
To America’s north there is Canada. With comparatively limited arable land and thousands of miles of arctic ice, it would be extremely difficult for an invading army to attack the US from the north.
South of the United States is Mexico. Most of the land around the US-Mexican border is desert which is also hard to move an army across.
Internally the United States has mountains, grasslands, deserts and forests. The tundra of the United States makes it easy to defend and hard to attack.
A combination of America’s surrounding geography, and the terrain across the continental US, are major reasons why the country cannot be invaded.
4. The US Population Is Huge
Another reason why the United States cannot be invaded is because of its huge population.
The population of America is 334 million. This makes it the third most populous country in the world. There is no way an invading army could conquer a country with a population as big as America’s. The scale of resistance and the size of army needed to overcome it in order to gain control of the US is too large for any country.
Invading a country with a large population is extremely difficult. The attacking force must have an army large enough to defeat the defenders, and then to take over critical infrastructure, cities and communication networks. There is no army in the world that is large enough to conquer the United States and control its population. This is an important reason why the US would never be invaded.
Any army aiming to invade the US would be unable to overcome the entire population. This would mean there would also be resistance to any occupation, making it difficult to maintain.
5. America’s Technology and Innovation
An important reason why the United States could not be invaded is because of its advanced technology and levels of innovation.
America is among the most technologically advanced countries in the world. Its military is equipped with the latest technology and this makes is difficult to defeat. There is no army in the world as technological advanced as the American and this would make an invasion of the US almost impossible.
Many of the worlds leading technology companies are American. The US also leads the world in innovation and the development of high-tech industries. This provides America with enormous wealth, as well as the resources needed to defend the country.
Significant parts of the world economy depends on US companies and American technology. An invasion of the US would cause enormous disruption to the world economy and major world powers are unlikely to let this happen.
6. United States Allies
A further reason why the US could not be invaded is because of its alliances.
The United States is a member of NATO. This is a military alliance made up of 30 countries across North America and Europe. NATO provides a mutual defence guarantee to all countries that means an attack on one is an attack on all. Any country that tried to invade America would have to go to war with all of NATO.
As well as being a member of NATO, the US has a range of alliances with other countries. Key American allies include the United Kingdom, France and Canada. All would likely come to America’s aid if it was invaded.
Although the US is not formal allies with all countries in Central and South America, it’s critical role in the region means that many of these countries would assist America if it was invaded. Mexico, for example, has not historically sided with countries that have wanted to attack the US. This has meant the United States couldn’t be invaded.
7. America’s Global Power
A final reason why America could not be invaded is because of its global power.
America is the most powerful country in the world. It dominates the global economy. America is also important culturally, diplomatically and politically around the world. The global role of the US makes it hard to invade, and also means many countries would come to its aid.
The United States projects its power globally. It has embassies in 177 countries and military forces stationed in 80. America also plays an active role in international affairs, including holding a permanent seat on the UN security council. A country that is as crucial to the international system and integrated into world affairs is hard to invade because of its dominant role globally.
The impact of an invasion of America would have around the world would be enormous. Many countries depend on the US for their security and many more have crucial economic links with America. It is impossible to see how many countries in the world would allow an invasion of America to happen without intervening.