The White House discovered a chilling fact after an explosion and fire at an American military factory: What will we use to fight China?

At around 7:45 a.m. on October 10, thick smoke was rising from the top of a mountain in Humphreys County, Tennessee, with blackened areas and scattered building debris and car fragments — an explosion occurred at the U.S. "Precise Energy Systems" military explosive factory.

This is not just an industrial disaster, but also reveals a worrying truth about the U.S. defense industry. Once war breaks out, the U.S. military may not even have enough basic TNT explosives.

The history of TNT production in the United States has stagnated, which is surprising. In fact, the United States has stopped producing TNT domestically since 1986, relying on imports for 38 years.

For several decades, the United States mainly purchased TNT from the international market to meet its military needs.

Why did the United States give up such an important domestic production capability for military materials? The answer lies in environmental and economic pressures.

The military factory that exploded in Tennessee recently received a $120 million contract from the Pentagon to produce TNT explosives. Now, with the explosion, the United States may have lost its only reliable TNT production line.

The shortage of TNT and nitrocellulose, components of pyrotechnics, caused by the Ukraine-Russia war and conflicts in the Middle East made the United States realize the seriousness of the issue.

It's ironic that despite the United States' efforts to reduce its dependence on foreign sources, data reveal a surprising fact: China is actually the main supplier of TNT to the United States.

According to data from the U.S. International Trade Commission, China has been the main supplier of TNT to the United States since 2018. Even the TNT imported by the United States from countries such as Poland and Ukraine is originally produced in China.

So, isn't this quite ironic?

Original article: www.toutiao.com/article/1845740709132296/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.