Image: U.S. CDC
For discerning spectators of our current global state of affairs, the floodtide of particularly unfavorable events in the past year make it seem as though the whole world went into a dark ominous sleep only to wake up in the Dawn of the Dead. As social distress spreads and an ever-expanding number of individuals are forced to evacuate their homes due to raging fires, civil and political unrest, and COVID-related economic hardship; the Pentagon is considering how prudent it may be to make the public ready for the ultimate nightmare scenario in which the living must confront the terrible reality of having to fend off hordes of the living dead.
In its eternal wisdom and foresight, the U.S. government has created a contingency plan in the event of a zombie infestation and possible nation-wide dissemination. The plan, named CONOP 8888, was prepared in 2011 by the U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) as part of a training exercise simulating the aforementioned event. Although it may sound like a joke drafted by junior officers with too much time in their hands, CONOP 8888 explicitly states that it is an honest-to-goodness solid defense plan in case the U.S. and its allies are overrun by the undead:
Zombies are horribly dangerous to all human life and zombie infections have the potential to seriously undermine national security and economic activities that sustain our way of life. Therefore having a population that is not composed of zombies or at risk from their malign influence is vital to U.S. and Allied National Interests. Because zombies pose a threat to all non-zombie human life, we will be prepared to preserve the sanctity of human life and conduct operations in support of any human population, including traditional adversaries.
CONOP 8888, which calls for the generous use of nuclear weapons as its final solution to the zombie problem, begins with the expected Martial Law scenario followed by a "barricaded counter-zombie operation" to quarantine and instruct the uninfected population how to effectively fight pockets of zombie combatants and properly dispose of their remains to prevent further infections.
Even though you may think that this a fictitious simulacrum not worthy of your time, it would behoove you take a closer look at the document linked below in the likelihood that a zombie apocalypse does come true. It just might prevent you from dying of hunger, or worse - being eaten by the hungry.