The Three Gorges Dam: The Most Important Strategic Target in the World

[@warographics643]

Thanks to Keeps for sponsoring this video! Head to keeps.com/SIMON to get a special offer.

[@Normal_macdonald]

You're not a good example of keeps working my dude

[@ignitionfrn2223]

Well i'll be dammed !

[@1cipheradam]

Why you still bald then ?

[@ignitionfrn2223]

@@1cipheradamNo hair should soil the chrome dome of the Whistler !

[@terryhoath1983]

Another fine piece of work but a few points :- 1. The Boulder Dam (renamed Hoover Dam) is every bit a gravity dam as the Three Gorges. 2. The Three Gorges is a seasonal dam. The Reservoir may have an operating MAXIMUM capacity of just over 39 cubic kilometres .... and has held more than that in the odd exceptional year, it is at nothing like that amount for much of the year. Although the operating peak level is 574 ft (175 m) above sea level, the rock upon which the dam sits is a long way above sea level. The dam is so high because of built-in redundancy. The maximum hydraulic head is 371 ft (113 m) but for much of the year, the water level is much lower. The penstock intakes are way below the maximum level. The turbines work on a head of just 264 ft (80.6 m). As with any dam with a fluctuating reservoir, the pressure of the turbines is kept constant by the use of wickets. The lake reaches a low point (about 10 cubic kms) in late January - February. The lake then rises because of snow melt in the headwaters. Following the peak of the snow melt, the level drops a little and then rises to the peak in early Summer due to rainfall in the modified monsoon. Thereafter, the level falls away though to the next low point in the beginning of the following year, the turbines consuming more water over the late Summer, Autumn and early Winter than inflow . IF the Chinese felt that the dam would be in danger should they attack Taiwan, then they wouldn't do it in early Summer ..... WOULD THEY ? Even if the dam was breached, even close to the peak, it would take several months to drain down to pre-dam levels. There are two obstacles to draining the lake quickly, namely the top two gorges. Because of the cross section created by the height of the lake, even at low level, there is little difference in height, but before the dam, during the monsoon the water entering the upper gorge was 40 ft higher than the water exciting. If the dam were to fail or be caused to fail, the upper gorge would restrain vast amounts for a very long time, thereby limiting the initial discharge. Much of the volume of the lake is above that gorge. The banks of the Yangtse pre-dam were capable of holding the Summer flood, many, many times the average flow so any breach of the dam would have to be very significant indeed. Remember, the flood caused by the breach of the Kachovka Dam in Ukraine was because the Russians caused an almost total failure because they had mined it internally along almost all of its' width with massive amounts of explosive. The Three Gorges is 1.5 miles (2.3 kms) wide. It would take a Hell of a lot of bangs to cause total devastation. 3. Although, for the life of me I don't know why, we are told that attacking civilian infrastructure is a war crime. 4. No-one, not even Trump in his wildest dreams, would use a nuclear weapon on China, not over Taiwan anyway. China would forget about Taiwan and launch a devastating nuclear barrage against the USA ... huge numbers would be shot down but some of them would get through. Whilst some American missiles and planes may get through to the dam, the great majority would be shot down and I would not care to be a pilot flying even an F35, more than a thousand miles into China and hope to get out again. 5 Even if a catastrophic failure could be caused, evacuation of nearly all of the area that would be flooded is entirely possible. It would take more than 12 hours for the flood water to reach Wuhan and more than 24 to reach the areas close to the estuary. The tidal flow past Shanghai in the estuary is greater than any flood which would reach Shanghai. In 1931, the Chinese who died had no prior knowledge, and had bicycles at best. Chinese today have cars and buses, and whilst electric trains may prove unreliable in such circumstances, they have plenty of diesel locomotives. Without doubt, Taiwan's greatest defence is its porcupine policy (just like Switzerland) and there are far juicier and more vulnerable targets for their conventional weapons just across the strait. I am sure that the Taiwanese have sleepers with the appropriate tools and knowledge already in China waiting for the call to cause vast amounts of sabotage . If Aux-men in Britain in 1940 awaiting a Nazi invasion were prepared to sacrifice their lives for their country, then Taiwan also has such patriots. Aux-men knew that if the invasion took place, they had an average life expectancy of 14 days but volunteered anyway.

[@Have_A_Nice_Day242]

I saw a documentary once on attacking heavily defended targets and this one young pilot was successful by ignoring all the electronics targeting information and using a power he called the Force.

[@spambot_gpt7]

The Force Multiplier

[@Deyas786]

Luke Skywalker is a lever and nothing can change my mind now.

[@ganndeber1621]

How did he get on?

[@CharlesShopsin]

Is that the only time in the movies someone actually refers to a computer by name?

[@themacker894]

The accuracy of the information provided in that documentary is close to (but better) than info provided in this one. ;)

[@JohnGuzik]

Three Gorges Dam is holding back all the rocket fuel.

[@Coins.com.]

😂😂

[@ssark9187]

Those who don't follow current affairs won't understand this Joke 😅.

[@alexhennigh5242]

​@@ssark9187If they're here, I think it's safe to say they get the joke 🤦

[@Normal_macdonald]

Is the dam made with steel beams?

[@SamtheIrishexan]

So true lol

[@attobuoy]

As the old joke says, mechanical engineers build weapons; civil engineers build targets.

[@tjroelsma]

Mechanical engineers might also say: "whatever you can build, we can tear it down." Mechanically speaking it's a relatively simple equation of doing enough damage to critical points and the construction WILL collapse.

[@derekhamel2991]

Lol, never thought of this juxtaposition

[@jeffreydallas6047]

How the hell did China keep the scammers from selling them bunk concrete and rebar? I'm most worried about the dam taking itself out.

[@ashishkumarsarma5359]

And then comes the Computer Engineers 😎

[@James-hw1gk]

Then bio engineers 😮

[@mich5924]

An F-16 making it from Taipai to Three Gorges sounds like the plot of the new Top Gun sequel.

[@hughmungus2760]

yeah sure, a non stealthy aircraft fighting its way through thousands of PLAAF fighters and hundreds of SAM sites.

[@Backdaft94]

More like Iron Eagle

[@domcamp3313]

@@hughmungus2760he said it sounds like a plot of a movie😂 you really thought he was serious lmao

[@topcat43truffles15]

Come on, everyone knows Tom Cruise could do it all by his lonesome….🤣

[@topcat43truffles15]

Matter of fact, just let them know Tom Cruise is on his way and they might just surrender right there… Sorry, just can’t help myself…lol. I think I’ll just go crack open another cold one….🍺😎

[@mufasachainbreaker7757]

I don't know who needs to know this, but out of the stock footage he used for the flooding, there is a scene at 6:17 that includes a dinosaur fleeing from the flood. The More You Know

[@Sintrania]

The best attack plan for the dam is “wait” 😂

[@Samookely]

Chinese infrastructure will take it out faster than any american weapon could 💀💀

[@justmyopinion8395]

You will believe anything

[@captaindonkeyballs]

@@justmyopinion8395like the many videos of Chinese buildings collapsing for no reason?

[@dolfoboynas9583]

Tofu Dredge Concrete 😂😂😂

[@boiscooka232]

​@dolfoboynas9583 Tofu china wall is collapse 😌

[@shawnamell3069]

I grew up in Lake Havasu City, below the Hoover Dam. I never gave a second thought about what would happen if it was destroyed. Very eye opening!

[@douggaudiosi14]

Situational awareness is paramount above all else. Not paranoia but having knowledge and plans about potential incidents that could effect your life. Like living under a massive dam or always knowing where all exits to a building are and reading people

[@branraisin684]

Just look at what happened a little over a decade ago the Parker dam had to be opened up and flooded most of housing along the river. Just 45 minutes south of you -havasu native as well

[@iamunknowable]

Did you not pay attention in school when they talked about what to do and where to go when something like that happens? They taught us about what to do and where to go during a natural disaster...

[@ALLMINDmercenarysupportsystem]

You live near the New Vegas dam! I wonder if the dam gets any tourism from that game. I know the town Goodsprings does.

[@branraisin684]

@@ALLMINDmercenarysupportsystem Vegas does Hoover does hell even surprise does

[@phaslow4393]

There are several dams on the Yangtze above the Three Gorges Dam. They are much smaller, but still quite considerable in size. If one of them was to go for whatever reson it would result in a domino effect taking the others downstream with it.

[@willdean-stobie5730]

Smaller ones potentially being not as well defended? Try to hit a few at the same time to increase the chances of causing a tsunami that hits the Three Gorges? As dark as it is, I would all but guarantee such a plan exists somewhere in top secret military planning files.

[@silverhawkscape2677]

Bruh 😅

[@Zendvious]

There are almost 100 dams in that line, literally it will be the worst catastrophe in the history of mankind

[@nhatho1723]

You know dams are designed to be able to release more water if there’s too much for it to handle right? It’ll allow the downstream to flood a bit more to protect the integrity of the damn

[@rave9532]

@@nhatho1723 You are correct and that would happen under normal flooding conditions but in a instance if three gorges dam failing it isn’t a normal flood it’s more like a river tsunami with enough force to break down stream dams.

[@mooonpaw]

The flood mentioned warped the dam quite a lot, too. It may not have to be destroyed at all. Looking at the before and after pictures, it's ...worrying, to say the least.

[@adamkaufman724]

Yeah I saw that. Given all the reports on Chinese building quality, I don't think it lasts the decade

[@Samookely]

i think this is a tipping point thats leading to so many middle class chinese people fleeing to america through the mexican border. Watching history unfold is both horrifying and fascinating. Very critical part of our lives right now

[@hyzhang2064]

Actually, if you check google earth now you will find the dam still straight like before. Maybe google optimized their algorithm.

[@johnteets2921]

Concrete does not bend. Those pictures were photo shopped.

[@adamkaufman724]

@johnteets2921 concrete isn't supposed to bend. But if you don't mix it correctly, or use substandard materials, it'll do all sorts of things it shouldn't.

[@IlluminatiBG]

"In 2005, NASA scientists calculated that the shift of water mass stored by the dams would increase the total length of the Earth's day by 0.06 microseconds". While the energy of a nuclear weapon is powerful, I think the potential energy stored in the water reservour is on par.

[@thesjkexperience]

Surfers agree. Few understand the power of water.

[@SimonMester]

Any engineer worth their salt, or anyone with basic scientific literacy should understand the power of water.@@thesjkexperience

[@besomewheredosomething]

@@thesjkexperience The Rocket Force of China knows. They use it to fuel their missiles!

[@lowqualityshitposts8860]

yea but its 34 meters of concrete, or more

[@bigdopamine9343]

I could really use the extra sleep.

[@ignitionfrn2223]

1:40 - Chapter 1 - Biggest in the world 3:15 - Mid roll ads 4:40 - Back to the video 5:25 - Chapter 2 - Potential for catastrophe 11:30 - Chapter 3 - Attack & defense 18:45 - Chapter 4 - Deterring china ; china deters

[@Mmouse_]

Ads.. Where? Oh yea... I don't see those.

[@SimonsAuntPhyllis]

@@Mmouse_ Right. You skip to when he's done talking about his sponsor too. Just like everybody else.

[@phucyuho2807]

​@@SimonsAuntPhyllisspeak for yourself

[@TexRex6352]

Calling the dam virtually indestructible is a joke. We know there have been serious structural integrity issues with plenty of cracks and the government would have a tough time repairing them because the dam is eternally being used. China regularly chooses to flood certain cities to avoid letting favored cities take damage from natural disasters. That's not a sign of strength and stability.

[@criticaltheories5222]

It might collapse on its own......

[@RyGuy13]

Simon may be making a great series about warfare, but in reality it's just a bunch of really good logic against war. And he does it masterfully!

[@graham7478]

Yeh, but humans are impervious to logic so we're f####d

[@viewsandreviews180]

I wonder if anti-war messages like this are okayed for circulation in China by the CCP.

[@Waverlyduli]

But just in case, special assets are important.

[@Mike-hu3pp]

If the Hoover dam was breached Mexico would see the Colorado river for the first time in almost a century.

[@Douge11]

The Colorado river is as much as 60% overdrawn. When the surveys were done to determine how much water each state is allowed to pull from it, they messed up the calculations and everyone is pulling too much

[@12345anton6789]

And no more water for California

[@ericwright6672]

That's been rerouted dude comes out in San diego

[@bnadit1949]

The calculations were fine, the problem was the timeframe referenced that the calculations were based on was one of the wettest periods the Colorado River has ever seen.

[@JoJoRogain]

​@@bnadit1949 that's how I ended up married for awhile lol

[@deltarno7502]

I remember hearing back in the early 00's. Back then, people were talking about how there were micro fractures throughout the foundations. Frankly, and in the revelation about tofu dreg construction, I always expected it to fall on it's own.

[@MrAdamArce]

There was a very brief time when modern China actually did construct things properly. Obviously, that's now a thing of the past for a least the last decade. But it did happen for a split moment lol

[@codyaragon93]

Did I hear him right when he said it’s on a fucking fault line?? So the next global catastrophe could be another result of Chinese incompetence…

[@KookyBone]

​​@@MrAdamArce You really believe what you are saying... Are you from the 50 cent army which posts Chinese propaganda... Just Google or search on KZbin for China tofu buildings collapse.... You will find hundreds or thousands. Even the newly build Chinese monorail in Thailand, had two incidents because of bad quality in the first 6 months... Chinese building quality is still about the worst in the world.

[@zehechen920]

And yet 23 years later nothing has fallen on its own😂 ofc a little ynk will come out of the woods with zero knowledge of dam building thinks that a perfect damn has no cracks Every dam have cracks😂 but hey what can you expect from someone who live in a prime example of what a failed society and a failed race is. How dose it feel seeing food in grocery stores locked behind bulletproof glass, how dose feel seeing mass homlessness on the streets, how dose feel seeing mass shootings Every month boast about infrastrure are you how dose feel traveling around on those stone age half broken subways in rundown tunnels remind again how fast your train gose? Dose it go 1000km a hour oops that is chins😂 you infrastructure is so good new york is sinking into the ocean but who am I just the country with the most skyscrapers oops are you gonna say that they are going to collpsse too😂 wanna wait another 23 years and tets out your theroy I'm afraid your failed society will collpsse before any chinses building will😂

[@joeleonard9965]

Guessing it was around the same time they had pro-democracy movements.

[@rhov-anion]

I have a friend who was affected when a dam near her broke. She didn't just lose her home; she lost her entire town. Her job, her children's schools, her church, her favorite grocery store. Everything, gone. And this was only a small town. I can't imagine a mega-metropolis like Wuhan being wiped out. I mean, just look at inflation after China partially shut down due to Covid, how we now struggle to afford graphic cards, laptops, even food. Imagine if it all NEVER REOPENED because hundreds of millions were dead and all the industries wiped off. Simon is right, it's human destruction that would surpass literally EVERYTHING IN HISTORY, and an economic catastrophe with global ramifications. You don't need a nuclear arms race when you have a dam and hundred of millions of lives hanging in the balance.

[@ashleyobrien4937]

meh, America is the process of building new fabs to eliminate that very weakness, and on U.S. soil. So the world is going to run out of fake knockoffs and fidget spinners...I think we'll cope....

[@d.c.8828]

If you are not a citizen of the People's Republic of China, then China is not responsible for your nation's currency being devalued.

[@myblacklab7]

Which dam? Which town?

[@kevinmcconnell3641]

I’ve actually seen an article saying that the Three Gorges dam is in peril of failing.

[@Christian-Syndicate]

Read about the Johnstown Flood. Then scale it up

[@jimtalbott9535]

I grew up in a small town in the 1980s in Eastern Washington state. Every Saturday at noon they’d test the air-raid sirens - because Grand Coulee Dam upriver from is was a known target for Soviet Nukes - if ruptured, it was expected to inundate our town with about 200 ft of water. We were downstream by about 80-100 miles from Grand Coulee.

[@Itsthatoneguy371]

Not to mention it would then be radioactive water. Spreading its joy everywhere it touched after the flood damage was done.

[@madsocsci]

They tested air raid sirens weekly where I grew up as well. My friends and I would joke that "the Russians could attack (then,) and nobody would pay any attention."

[@Itsthatoneguy371]

@NanoDeer the fun of living in the Midwest or plans states

[@Lutherson1962]

And in the 40s-50s people used to man air raid towers to record and report all airplanes flying

[@sargepent9815]

It's already known they used inferior concrete and steel in its construction and the architects that tried to sound warning were silenced. That dam is unstable and WHEN (not if) it fails, will cause the biggest humanitarian disaster in history

[@ganndeber1621]

Good

[@stephaniepotts8256]

​@ganndeber1621 you realize I'd that happens they'll probably blame another country and drag the US,Japan, or Taiwan into war. Probably all three.

[@Canada-_]

@@ganndeber1621 bro what ur fckn sick in the head, screw the CCP but to want 10s if not 100s of millions of people to die. I hope you never have children talking like that.

[@gagemattingly6706]

@@ganndeber1621not good, the average Chinese citizen is just a normal person, they don’t deserve to pay for corrupt officials actions

[@ganndeber1621]

Lol they are Chinese first communist second. If you believe your drivel you know nothing about China or the Chinese@@gagemattingly6706

[@edward9232]

I couldn't imagine Simon with hair. The bald head and beard is an iconic look, and a good look.

[@RAS_Squints]

Simon's social credit score went down 100 points

[@Coins.com.]

😂

[@kevinmahaley4916]

Nahhh.....atleast 450

[@KonradvonHotzendorf]

Didn't call Xi ping Winney the Pooh

[@01oo011]

He’s been on the “detain if ever seen in China” list for a long time now.

[@gabbyt98]

Naughty naughty fact boy

[@lajoyalobos2009]

One bit of arsenal that might make sense that wasn't mentioned specifically was the US's quicksink. When used against ships, it is terrifying to behold, with ships sinking in almost less time than it takes to read this sentence. It uses a cavitation effect which if used against a dam like this, the blast would initially rupture the entire structure, using a "water hammer" effect (water doesn't compress.)

[@adenkyramud5005]

I didn't even think about using the quicksink against anything other than ships... dear god that would be one hell of a boom wouldn't it 😂 there really is no country in the world that can compare to the us when it comes to putting warheads on foreheads...

[@windsorSJ]

That theory was pioneered by Barnes Wallis creator of the dambuster bomb in WWII. You should watch the movie about it, great old war movie.

[@kahlzun]

@@windsorSJ the bouncing bomb or the earthquake bomb?

[@basrengangetch.2042]

​@@kahlzunbouncy one. Earthquake bomb was used mostly on submarine pens

[@nikopawlowic6557]

The one weapon system you failed to mention was Rapid Dragon, basically imagine a C-130 loaded up with around 5 pallets of cruise missles each pallet carrying 6-9 cruise missles that get yeeted out the back of the plane and have a range of about 450 miles and are nigh impossible to both detect and stop and are loaded with JDAM style munitions. Basically if the United States Airforce decided to say screw the PRC all they would have to do to destroy the Three Gorges dam would be to send up a few cargo aircraft and cause a war crime from a safe distance away.

[@erichelmick1087]

THANK YOU! Nobody knows about the rapid dragon yet.

[@oblivionshadow9453]

You probably wouldn't want to use rapid dragon for this sort of attack though. While C-17's and C-130's would allow you to get the volume you would need to ensure hits on target easier, it would probably be better to launch these from stealth platforms to minimize the reaction time of air defenses.

[@nikopawlowic6557]

@oblivionshadow9453 to quote Fat electrician "Buh!" How dare I say something that is actually smart strategically, not saying that it is moral to condemn all of those who would be suffered in its wake by such is war. God help us that such an instance remains in our imaginations and not become a reality.

[@tylergarrett4498]

You'd have to to suppress enemy air defense half way into Jiangxi

[@ezas533]

ironically, JASSM-ER has a maximum range of just about the distance from the edge of the east china sea to the dam

[@tobycatVA]

Targeting the dozens of dams upstream of The Three Gorges Dam in a domino attack to overtop it would exacerbate the damage and is nearly impossible to defend against.

[@user-qd4td7yb8e]

India has the stink of the Ganges as their defense. Mongols didn't even get close.

[@wenchan8098]

Did you watch the last 5 minutes of the video?

[@Phethario]

"Using dirty mini nukes so the tsunami would be highly radioactive, would also help :P" They are small enough to be smuggled in and deployed as an underwater drone without anyone noticing

[@SamRalls-ti1be]

A good mind working there. Maybe just incorporate that move, as part of the overall strategy?

[@ch1m3r4c0mpl3x]

This was a great dam episode, with a lot of dam facts. There's a lot of potential for massive dam devastation if anyone ever took it out.

[@marshallsupply9188]

except no one is gonna take it out. this is some weird pipe dream that any serious military analyst would never consider

[@ch1m3r4c0mpl3x]

@@marshallsupply9188 /woosh

[@raygarcia-pg7wr]

Dam good comment

[@raygarcia-pg7wr]

@@marshallsupply9188unfortunately

[@ForageGardener]

​@@raygarcia-pg7wr*good dam comment

[@theadventuresofbrockinthai4325]

I am an American living in Thailand and I had a conversation with an engineer that worked on building the 3 gorges dam. He told me that it is full of tofu. It is just a matter of time before it will have major cracks and will ultimately fail and kill millions.

[@bangbanglee_]

十九年前你的父亲也是这样说的😂

[@Fujhipngff]

@@bangbanglee_go look up the hundreds of videos on buildings collapsing. It’s frankly insane it’s that often. It’s not surprising when you have 0 regulations on material quality and percision with the added benefit of contractors building without even a worry for demand, you breed the culture of doing stuff quickly not well and you cut every single corner you can. It’s the exact reason any company that needs to source parts with high accuracy they don’t go to china.

[@yli3697]

You can pass this story on to your grandson.

[@HH-dd2xq]

I'd love to see a video about how this dude singlehandedly mastered the youtube algorithm. Guy's got like 7 different channels pumping out videos daily of completely random clickbait shit, with everything from the title to the channel names to the thumbnails all perfectly crafted to maximize engagement for ad revenue and being recommended to me constantly, even though I have never watched anything from this channel.

[@teamcybr8375]

He's not primarily a writer, he's hired as a narrator because he's a great narrator.

[@DS-uy6jw]

His voice

[@zogar8526]

I don't think America would actually target it if we could avoid it. Though I do think we'd make China think we were. Stage multiple attempts, all I intended to fail, but all still drawing massive amount of chines resources to defend the dam. Make them focused on its protection so much they are left with less elsewhere. And hit another target for real while they think we were trying for the dam. That would be my bet.

[@proy3]

Not to mention that it would pretty much guarantee a nuclear response.

[@joshuakern2762]

Tiawan might

[@etienne8110]

The thing is, if you target their dam and millions of lives, it makes it fair game for them to target yours, your nuclear plants etc... It s not a game anyone sane would want to play. Even the russians arent stooping that low.

[@muninrob]

@@etienne8110 Already forgot about the Kakhovka dam that the Russians blew to prevent the Ukrainian counter attack?

[@tyler3201]

@@muninrob That's a little different.

[@Bitchslapper316]

This is an amazing engineering marvel and it's also scary. Just a year or two back there were images of parts of the dam bending and cracking during a rather active rain season. I believe they repaired it. Thankfully.

[@za7v9ier]

just satellite image stitching glitch i believe. Same effect can be seen on a smartphone camera when taking panorama mode

[@Iselas181]

@za7v9ier you can Google what happened bro, it was in 2020 they found some bending but fixed it, pretty normal for this to happen so I don't see what all the fuss is about.

[@za7v9ier]

@@Iselas181 that kind of warping no engineering solution can fix it. It's as good as a crack in glass. No matter how much you fix it, it can be structurally sound. That's the other dam that is old in Europe which is structurally failing has a solution of building another dam in front of the old dam

[@Gfysimpletons]

Water can move mountains, the TGD is held in place by gravity! 😂😂😂😂

[@user-wz9wj8eo8f]

I saw a U Tube video last week where the subject dam has over 80 serious cracks and may destroy itself in a short time.

[@Hillbilly001]

Holy Algorithm! Two Warographics in less than 24 hours! Simon, did you finally feed the denizens of the basement something other than mushrooms? Allegedly. Cheers from Tennessee

[@kirinrias6912]

simon run out of magic spoon so they got normal ones with sugar....

[@Hillbilly001]

@@kirinrias6912 Better than the mushrooms. Depending on the mushroom though. Allegedly. Cheers

[@Jayjay-qe6um]

Destroying the Three Gorges Dam has been a tactic discussed and debated in Taiwan since the early 1990s, when the dam was still in the planning phase.

[@enolopanr9820]

Ferb, I know what we are going to do today

[@fantabuloussnuffaluffagus]

You would have to be a moron to miss the potential of attaching a target like 3 Gorges. You would have to be a war criminal to do it.

[@philognosis6409]

It sounds like a plan for getting nuked.

[@Scoubidou-if1of]

Debated in the UK you mean.

[@starmnsixty1209]

👍👍👍

[@craftycri]

Love the Dr Strangelove secret "dooms day weapon"... ;) What you didn't mention, however, is the structural issues the 3 Gorges Damn has already, its a cracked cup just aching to blow. I seriously doubt it would take much to take it out. If it were to happen, I would expect a Nord Stream surprise... a "gee I wonder who" event where no one saw nothin!

[@nylarnameless1759]

Great analysis....I hadn't known the dam was such a monolith in China and represents such a strategic interest.

[@marshallsupply9188]

it's not strategic at all. no one is seriously thinking about blowing up a purely civilian infrastructure even in war. if they did, it would have to be with nukes but at that point, wed already be in a nuclear holocaust

[@lynn6799]

​@@marshallsupply9188its so poorly built, you don't need nukes. Fireworks will do the trick.

[@douggodfrey6521]

If the Great Dam of China fails - it's back to a 1924 . Economy.

[@Kriss_L]

@@marshallsupply9188If you are at war with China, that dam is a strategic military target as it powers the Chinese economy which builds and supports the Chinese military.

[@Devilishlybenevolent]

It's not really a "strategic interest" more of a mass terrorist attack if anyone attacked it since it would cause mass innocent civilian casualties.

[@PositionTheory]

The irony of Simon’s video being sponsored by an anti-hair loss product is not lost on me 😂

[@richardhammonds6907]

You're funny

[@mharr]

It was nice to see Grandpa Buff make a cameo in this video!

[@user-zb9lv3gh8s]

The company i worked for made the wicket gate bearings for that dam. The packaging specs they gave us said so much... We were not allowed to use any newspaper packaging, in fact no writing was allowed on any thing inside the crates. They did not want any word from the outside world getting into china... Not. One. Word.

[@hyperboreanforeskin]

Chinese people have the internet and bypassing the Great Chinese Firewall is as easy as getting GoogleFi...

[@RogueReplicant]

Yep, the money-grubbing face-saving copycats are terrified that their herd of dumb sheep will know what a crappy system they live in, lol

[@Fujhipngff]

Do you know how close were the tolerances for it were?

[@user-zb9lv3gh8s]

@@Fujhipngff i believe we had a pretty nuts NDA on that job, so...

[@user-ct5md9yl8i]

You think China is completely closed off or something? That's ridiculous. McDonald's everywhere and half the people here have Facebook. It's not north Korea

[@Elongated_Muskrat]

Recent Military scandals, economic weakness, demographic crisis, the weakness of the Straight of Malacca as a global chokepoint, this and countless other things that make me believe China going to full scale war is basically national self-oofing.

[@loocro]

Historically, war has been proven to be a great distraction from internal issues, to keep leaders in power, at least temporarily

[@dynasty0019]

Never underestimate an autocracy's willingness to use war to whip a patriotic frenzy from its population to distract from its own failures.

[@mind-blowing_tumbleweed]

That never stopped anyone from waging a war. Kinda the opposite.

[@widodoakrom3938]

Well china has Eurasian railways and pipelines mallaca straits isn't important and do u thinks country like Malaysia Singapore and Indonesia will keep silent?

[@hughmungus2760]

Which is why china is massively building out its nuclear stockpile. Its learned that the US wouldn't dare actually attack a nuclear armed state if theres a reasonable chance a decent number of nukes hit the US mainland.

[@legaliseme]

The level of environmental and human cost caused by the destruction of the three gorges dam would be carte blanche to go straight to the MAD conclusion.

[@michaelhowell2326]

Isn't the Three Gorges Dam a victim of Chinese construction?I don't remember where I read/heard but the dam is already starting to crumble in places.

[@mattylaa5070]

Its been falling apart for a while. Crappy dams fail all the time all over china killing many buy information is supressed or ignored.

[@Kooster69]

@@wolfrickthedesigner4748 Considering the rampant corruption in China and China's sub-standard steel, I wouldn't be surprised that the Three Gorges Dam is a ticking away to become the worst human disaster in history.

[@FoquroC31]

I've heard similar claims but never sources. Can you provide a link to pictures of those cracks?

[@Fatallydisorganized]

can't put links in youtube comments, they'll remove the comment.@@FoquroC31

[@besomewheredosomething]

@@wolfrickthedesigner4748 Sources? It's a good story and I've seen it parroted by many people and channels, but are there any direct e.g. non-KZbin or Social Media sources?

[@henryskalitz9094]

One thing to consider also is that China's airforce, and military in general, have never been tested. The US military has a lot of experience so they know what can go wrong and how to fix it. China has no idea how their military will actually do against another military. A lot of people thought Russia had a strong military, only to find out they struggled against a Ukrainian army that should of been defeated in a week.

[@yufeination]

all the more reasons for them to use nuclear. if the dams been targeted and destroyed you think will give a crap about using nuclear lol?

[@silverhawkscape2677]

Exactly. Everyone was saying Ukraine would be crushed in a Month prior to the conflict.

[@Kriss_L]

People with security clearances were not surprised by the now public exposure of Russian corruption.

[@only_fair23]

The US isn't going to fight China directly, it'll just do it by supporting Taiwan

[@mitchhifi9192]

No they got tested recently in a UN peacekeeping mission, they abandoned post and ran away lmao.

[@darkgelfling]

Great video. I would like to add that the three gorgeous damn might not need to be attack. It might collapse on its own. More than a few sources have said that structurally the damage showing signs of cracking and weakness and we all know Tofu, construction is a Major problem in China.

[@justmyopinion8395]

You will believe anything.

[@donchaput8278]

Attacking a dam is like attacking a ship or submarine, you detonate the ordinance underwater, and at the base. The cavitation and pressure effect is devastating since water doesn't compress. Surprisingly everyone always talks about trying to attack the dam directly, that's stupid.

[@Toaster-v1z]

That's how the orcs blew up the dam in Ukraine.

[@toospooky051]

I was thinking of a combination of both; attack the base with shaped explosives on one side while dropping depth charges into the basin to crack away at the other side.

[@bthsr7113]

In the even that this dam would be attacked, there is a considerable chance of using nuclear tipped missiles, which don't need to worry as much about penetration.

[@eriq54321]

An underwater drone

[@Matt-yg8ub]

@@Toaster-v1z That was Ukraine…. The loss of the dam harmed the Russians trying to attack , not the defenders

[@Ed_Stuckey]

_nice dam you have there, it would be a shame if it fell down_

[@teamcharcoal1554]

At 6:17 thought I was tripping there with that dinosaur for a second.

[@Shoelessjoe78]

Back when I first saw a video this being constructed on the History channel when the History channel did history. My first thought was that would be one hell of a target to take out it would do way more damage than any nuke.

[@UpandSprout]

With the shifting it’s done via satellite images, it won’t be more than a decade.

[@TS-jm7jm]

​@@UpandSprouthere's hoping

[@etienne8110]

So are nuclear plants, mines etc... But no one would do it because they d face accusation of crime against humanity because of the huge number of casualties.

[@monkeynator1000]

@@etienne8110atleast you understand that attacking that dam would lead to nuclear war

[@loocro]

It would also trigger a nuclear answer from China

[@andrewphillips8341]

6:20 You left out that the officials DIDN'T WARN people down stream of the dam that they were opening the flood gates (AT NIGHT), many people died as a result.

[@therealwildfolk]

As an American who lived in China this is honestly something I never considered. Great video!

[@garyfrombrooklyn]

My friends: “Hey man, what’s going on?” Me: “Have you heard of the Three Gorges Dam and its significance? I’ll stop you there, you haven’t. Let me tell you what’s going on”

[@chrischan4936]

If Simon comes out with a video, praising the achievements of the three gorges dam, i know what happened.

[@CrackedCandy]

What happened?

[@KyleV00]

Good thing he doesn’t live in China? This fear of them is crippling to the weak minded, the chinaman can’t hurt you, don’t worry. Unless you’re stupid and actually willingly visit that ‘country’.

[@pauls3204]

It’s falling down , no one need destroy it ! It’s already swelling outwards in the middle .

[@user-ct5md9yl8i]

Still? I haven't heard it collapse yet. Did you also watch a KZbin video saying "China will collapse in 30 days!" 6 years ago?

[@Aravan242]

Not only am I pretty sure this is a work crime. I'm also pretty sure that any attack on the three gorges damn on that scale would justify the use of nuclear weapons and retaliation, so it's a great way to take your war from conventional to nuclear in record time

[@JoelSolomons8]

"a work crime" yep I'm pretty sure you'd get fired for blowing up the dam!

[@Moarb1d]

I agree. China could state (if they haven't yet) that any attack on the TGD would be considered similar as a nuclear attack on one of the cities and would be responded in the same way.

[@thepax2621]

"work crime"? Or "war crime"? 😅

[@esense9602]

​@@thepax2621in West, they call it collateral damage.

[@thepax2621]

@@esense9602 In the east they call it: politics

[@benb8898]

Would destroying that dam, even in a war, be the most evil deliberate act in the history of humanity?

[@ALLMINDmercenarysupportsystem]

Suppose it depends on circumstances, but I think those which it would be justified are highly, EXTREMELY unlikely. The only way I think it could be justified would be a situation like Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where it was decided that simply using the nukes would result in less casualties for both sides than an invasion of the home islands. However, without a nuclear war (which could conceivably be caused by this anyways), I don't see how a conventional invasion of mainland China could result in 50 million casualties, even counting both sides.

[@cole2561]

Nahhh

[@hughmungus2760]

@@ALLMINDmercenarysupportsystem the only reason the US could carry out Hiroshima and Nagasaki was because the japanese couldn't nuke the US back. China absolutely would nuke the US in retaliation.

[@KitsuneKiera]

Absolutely, If attacking a civillian is a war crime then that would be what 400 million war crimes? It is literally Rule 1 in the laws of war. Plus its kind of ironic for countries like the US to high horse countries like Russia regarding their indiscriminate attacks on civillians and then even consider an even more indiscriminate attack on civillians.

[@stephenconnolly3018]

They also claimed Bagdad was the most well defended air space in the world and we all know what happened there. Hermann Goring thought Berlin could not be bombed.

[@bobrenner7213]

This dam has been the subject of several books in the past. One from 1997" The River Dragon Has Come!: Three Gorges Dam and the Fate of China's Yangtze River and Its People. Also, I remember a war story novel about bombing the dam but I wasn't able to locate the title quickly.

[@msclrhd]

For some reason, I've got the Dam Busters theme stuck in my head :).

[@404-UsernameNotFound]

10:43 Talking about Hoover Dam whilst showing an image of Glen Canyon Dam 😂

[@mattyktatermattyktater796]

Talking about the porcupine defense and showing a hedgehog. 😂

[@randyj4452]

I noticed that too! Stock footage from river level is Glen Canyon Dam!

[@MrFelipeJB]

No one talking about how this would be a war crime.

[@leihtory7423]

these people are not at war with the CCP. they are at war with Chinese people. lol.

[@Chroniclerope]

So are nukes, but if China thinks it can attack a nuclear defenses nation without a disaster whether from the damn or a nuke, then they really need to rethink it.

[@garytnew7504]

And do you honestly believe that would be a deterrent,,,I don’t think so

[@RogueReplicant]

What? The Chinese would annihilate us in an instant if they could. See what the effing Japanese did with modern military power, they went insane.

[@Hession0Drasha]

Seems like it'd be the prime target, for space based rods from god. Due to being near imposible to intercept.

[@jakes6023]

I thought they shit canned those? You're right though

[@Hession0Drasha]

@@jakes6023 banned by international treaty, but technically very possible

[@hughmungus2760]

they'd be unable to hit anything smaller than a city. Think about it. Unguided kinetic projectiles coming in from orbit? They'll be as accurate as 1st generation ballistic missiles.

[@RogueReplicant]

​@@hughmungus2760Why would they have to be unguided?? t f

[@hughmungus2760]

@@RogueReplicant sensors and control surfaces don't survive ballistic re-entry at orbital speeds. Stuff like space shuttles and space capsules have to perform a glide trijectory to not completely burn up. Whereas a dense rod won't be able to glide and plunge through the atmosphere melting off any kind of guidance system. ICBMs with guided warhead are still very much sub-orbital.

[@ke7eha]

The original 5000lb bunker buster was made using an old 8" gun barrel. If a country can make artillery pieces, they can make bunker busters without problems. Barnes Wallace had it right, though. More effective to go after the upstream face of the dam, or go with a burrowing weapon. The mass of the material surrounding the bomb acts as a tamper, makes the explosion much more effective.

[@osamamarouf1177]

HI Simon, as usual perfect episode, you never disappoint us, but dude how in the seven hells did you land that sponsor ?

[@CrazyBrick30]

They thought his beard was just hair that migrated south from his head for the winter.

[@jacobsir1320]

Hes wearing a whig

[@jacobsir1320]

Hes wearing a whig

[@jacobsir1320]

Hes wearing a whig

[@Fyctional]

Sponsors love a cautionary tale

[@pedrorequio5515]

The fact water level came so close to tipping over means, discharge channels were not currectly projected, my adviced is they build alternative flow channels. There are many signs of incorrect practices in the building of this dam, since it opened it has already buckle, that would be unaceptable anywhere but China, probably due to incorrectly cured concrete(due to time constraint, this dam was 10 years of pouring concret). The Hover dam for example metal tubes were placed to allow water to be pumped through in order to speed up the process. Also the soil under it is really important since its a gravity dam.

[@hughmungus2760]

please stop getting your facts from unsubstantiated rumors. Nobody with any engineering credibility ever claimed that the dam was buckling.

[@bestfails5283]

This is giving me some star wars, deathstar 1 vibes... Imagine luke taiwanwalker firing his torpedo into the weakpoint of the dam

[@Shrouded_reaper]

Your brain is damaged by television.

[@conductingintomfoolery9163]

It’s a damn, they don’t have structurally weak points

[@basrengangetch.2042]

​@conductingintomfoolery9163 it's a chinese dam. All of it is a weak point

[@Skyhulk95]

This dam makes Taiwan a automatic nuclear power with the building of the three gorges 39 billion cubic meters of water will easily affecting 400 million Chinese

[@hughmungus2760]

taiwan doesn't have anything with the yeild to actually damage it

[@MsTyrie]

I have to ask whether attacking upstream dams would be more strategic. The flooding above the 3-gorges dam would be severe and could make flooding below the 3-g dam less severe. A shot over the bow, if it were.

[@sammycampbell1654]

Yeah, it's a good theory on paper until you put it on a map. Those upstream dams are also further inland, and make them even more difficult to attack than the 3G

[@davidfranklin3180]

I love the random dinosaur 🦕 in the flood waters at 6:18. Didn't see that coming for sure.

[@omirrrr]

Never thought I'd see the day Simon promoted hair loss treatment

[@patasalada.willproctor]

He leads others to the gift he himself, can no longer possess. Poetic, really.

[@KonradvonHotzendorf]

It seems like a waste for Simon 😂 He look silly with hair

[@LiterallyOverTheHillAdventures]

I wonder what would happen if Zebra mussels somehow made their way into the reservoir. They are known for causing damage to turbines, pipes, filters, etc....They would without doubt have an impact on water discharge which could cause issues during flood events. They could also cause issues with the locks.

[@goosenotmaverick1156]

Honestly that is probably a more likely method of attack than using conventional military means. Granted I think if we wanted to bad enough, we could wipe it out via conventional means, but I think we would have to be in a pretty bad spot as a whole (the world) before any government would directly be willing to sacrifice that much equipment and personell

[@khathecleric]

They spread by ballast tanks of supertankers so... How are you going to get a supertanker up there, anyway? I also do believe mussels are seawater not freshwater creatures and would not thrive up there. Haven't had the time to look that up yet.

[@darthhelmet5788]

​@@khatheclericZebra mussels are actually freshwater mussels. (They were accidentally introduced to the Great Lakes several decades ago.) Quagga mussels are another invasive species that causes problems in the Great Lakes area.

[@garygeorge9648]

For the U.S. to take it out WWIII would already have started.

[@goosenotmaverick1156]

@@khathecleric these here Zebra Mussels sure do live in freshwater.

[@owenkasaboski6902]

The 3 Gorges Dam has been interesting to me since the original World War Z book released. In the novel, due to the Chinese government allowing the dam to be overrun and then abandoned, the dam eventually collapsed. The utter devastation caused by this utter failure caused a Chinese civil war, in the midst of the Z war. Only ending when the original governments Bunker was nuked by their last remaining nuclear sub to end the war so they could focus on the Z's with what assets remained.

[@marcohosfeld9728]

I think you forgot the rapid dragon palletized cruise missiles with a geometry that lends itself well to stealth. Given us logistical capabilities (honestly ridiculous), with tomahawks thousands of missiles could simultaneously converge

[@adenkyramud5005]

That's what i thought of as well. A rapid dragon plus tomahawk strike package could bring in a fuckton of explosives while probably overwhelming any air defense network China could reasonably be expected to put up around the 3GD. Simultaneously striking the other reservoirs upstream could make the damage caused even worse. Would be interesting to see a simulation of this.

[@marcohosfeld9728]

@@adenkyramud5005 this is hypothetical but since the CIA is advanced I figured why not. You could dump a shit ton of nanoparticles up stream of the dam in the snow melt of the Himalayas. If you tune the material properties appropriately, you can have the selectively bond to concrete and have a high thermal expansion coefficient. It'll take a bit, but given tofu dregg construction, it would be possible to rapidly accelerate crack growth in the dam. It's even possible to make it look like the dam spontaneously bust.

[@davidyu3815]

You wouldn't attack it because as soon as America starts attacking the Three Gorges Dam, China will respond with nukes. And you know what's the best part? Chinese and Russian nukes are aimed at the Calderas of America's Yellowstone Volcano. And let me tell you something. The American researchers at the University of California calculated that if Yellowstone was breached it would release a explosion that is 600x (Six hundred times - you heard that right) more powerful than ALL the nuclear weapons ever detonated in ALL of human history. The American cities surrounding Yellowstone will be uprooted into the heavens and the smoke, ashes, and soot will block out the sun and cover almost all of the United States as well as cover parts of Canada and Mexico. China may be devastated if the Three Gorges Dam is breached, but America will face literal extinction if Yellowstone is breached. There is no powerful force in the world than mother nature. How's that for a trade off?

[@hughmungus2760]

@@marcohosfeld9728 this is hypothetical but what if china creates a biologically engineered virus that has a near 100% lethality against targeted ethnicities that aren't chinese. It'd be about as likely to happen.

[@evilwelshman]

So, the immense number of civilian casualties that would likely arise by attacking the Three Gorges Dam, coupled with the likely lack of intrinsic military use of the dam, would make it potentially questionable as a valid military target under regular rules of engagement. Any country that did so would severely risk condemnation, both internationally and potentially within its own population as well, and becoming a pariah state with all the sanctions that go along with it. Meaning, short of facing an existential threat, I can't foresee any country intentionally targeting the Three Gorges Dam. So, maybe Taiwan in the event of a hypothetical invasion. I highly doubt the US would ever find itself in a situation to be desperate enough to feel the need to do this.

[@d.c.8828]

Our military is fucking crazy and nobody's ever successfully had the United States sanctioned or even censured by a majority vote in the United Nations, so I wouldn't be so optimistic. 🤷‍♂️

[@russell6075]

If china decides to go to war then the dam will get obliterated you would be stupid to not attack it

[@GyzmoGER]

I’d like to add that targeting a dam is a war crime according to the Geneva Convention (Article 56, Protocol I).

[@plastelina_ytb]

Was sad to see it take so long for someone to add this comment..

[@fjohnson9749]

With so much production in the cities down river from the dam it would Most definitely be a defined target just as any power plant. Stop production of goods.

[@emp0rizzle]

Don't forget Treebeard's attack on the dam at Isengard.

[@domcamp3313]

“Hold on little hobbits”

[@KingAlanI]

Sounds somewhat like a large scale version of the Mount Morris Dam on the Genesee. Rochester used to flood like crazy and when a dying hurricane hit the area in the 70s, a bit of water had to be released to avoid a total overflow (like that 2020 flood in China)

[@FrankLeeNacty]

Excellent topic. It’s an amazing target to destroy with a interesting history of how it was approved to be constructed. I’ll say it, 1 million subscribers soon.

[@johnhogan3810]

Remember a small attack on the dam can be done to prove resolve and ability to destroy the dam. He who can destroy something controls that thing.

[@GetErrDun]

As the old Ancient American Proverb says: "Don't start no shit, Won't be no shit!" **Cough**Cough** China!!!...Merica

[@lucass9328]

So glad I watched this til the end! Very informative, much appreciated!

[@tankueytryn]

I hink you're the only one!

[@basrengangetch.2042]

​@@tankueytrynno

[@TulsAmerican]

I had read somewhere the Three Gorges Dam has been shifting from poor construction and might collapse on its own.

[@systemshock869]

Seems like a quickly placed tungsten telephone pole from space would make quick work of it

[@cameronspence4977]

You know that doesn't actually exist right

[@systemshock869]

@@cameronspence4977 How could you possibly know that? kzbin.info/www/bejne/bp2Ykmx4gt6raKs

[@nikksettell462]

I remember learning about this in World War Z the book. When all the countries are falling one of the reasons china falls so quickly is the Three Gorges Dam is destroyed and power is lost and many people are lost. It was a big part of how China struggled in the Z War 1!

[@andrewphillips8341]

Wasn't the dam part of the 'cause' of the outbreak?

[@InquisitorXarius]

@@andrewphillips8341Yes it was

[@luisa.acevedo3326]

Yeah, they had a bioweapons program called The Eternal Nightmare and the first outbreaks were around the dam.

[@gamedemon89]

“Straight up erase a large part of the worlds food supply” While erasing a large part of the world’s food demand…

[@maperns]

Glad to see you didn't do the fear mongering thing and made it DAM clear that it's very unlikely that this could happen.

[@Matt-yg8ub]

Any attack on the dam would be covert… not an overt show of force

[@Bidenmytime]

The damn itself is made by China. That statement on its own is an insult im most cases...

[@fomori2]

@@Matt-yg8ub Im pretty sure that any attack on the dam by the US would be in retaliation of China using nuclear weapons. The US would then use nuclear armed tomahawks to easily take it out. It would kill hundreds of millions with only a few weapons and save the rest of the nuclear arsenal for other targets. A US China nuclear conflict is always going to result in the complete destruction of China as an industrial nation. Whether they, by themselves, can inflict the same on the US is the toss up.

[@adamloxley2551]

Remember the RAF and Operation Chastise, can’t believe it wasn’t mentioned. Only the US has the capability to destroy the dam, but given the stealth of the Spirit or Raider, they can absolutely hit the dam before anyone knows they are there.

[@hughmungus2760]

the dam is protected by powerful point defense weapons like type 1130 CWIS. designed to shoot down anything you throw at it short of a hypersonic weapon.

[@adamloxley2551]

Can't shoot what you can't detect or lock

[@hughmungus2760]

@@adamloxley2551 not an issue when what you're shooting at the target is not optically invisble and can be shot down.

[@adamloxley2551]

Ok… and how will you get a reliable firing solution with a point defence weapon targeting a transsonic bomber at 10000ft without RADAR, let alone have the range to engage it before it’s gone? Think about it.

[@adamloxley2551]

SAMs exist for a reason, because a 3.7inch flak isn’t viable

[@clubprojects6923]

At 19:15 ask yourself..... "What about the Walmart?"

[@KanesTrades]

It'd be cool to simulate all this in a hyper-realistic video game.

[@razoredgechris]

well given the possibility we are already living in a simulation maybe we are already INSIDE teh game.

[@fredrichardson3932]

The narrator talks about Hoover Dam, and "if it were taken out at the base", but he obviously doesn't understand the engineering of Hoover Dam. Hoover Dam may only be about 40 feet thick at the top, but it is 660 feet thick at it's base. It is basically a giant wedge, holding all of Lake Mead back behind it. The Three Gorges Dam is many times bigger, and conventional weapons, and even nuclear ones wouldn't even dent it.

[@w_a_b_b_i_t2781]

"Come on fact boy, everyone's got dams" I was dead 🤣🤣🤣

[@moonasha]

I think if there ever was a US vs China war, I'm fairly certain there'd be a gentleman's agreement to not target each other's homelands. The tit for tat disasters that could happen from dam busting and whatnot would just be too terrible. Sorta like how there was a gentlemen's agreement in WW2 to not use chemical weapons, even when Germany was losing badly.

[@gordonlloyd9335]

Not a realistic supposition. American doctrine calls for establishing air supremacy. China's military is built to operate in close proximity to the homeland. US assets would target air defenses, missile launch capabilities (particularly ICBM silos) airfields, and logistics.

[@gordonlloyd9335]

Also, the 'agreement ' in WW2 didn't stop warplanners in the Pentagon from planning on the use of poison gas in the eventuality of an invasion of the Japanese home islands.

[@TheGramophoneGirl]

My money would be on attacking a less protected dam further upstream from the three gorges. The flood from that would overwhelm the three gorges. Or hit a mountain upstream causing some sort of swell/wave to overwhelm the three gorges.

[@thorbalt1]

Strategic deterrence is not an all in thing. You only need to release the minimum required to stay ahead by whatever level is required. The major powers all have things that will never see the light of day until they are used, and its better to keep them a secret so you dont give anyone else clues about how to figure out its counter, or even worse have someone figure out the science of it and make their own version.

[@justandy333]

I'm surprised that he didn't mention that the destruction of Dams has been added to the Geneva Convention for obvious reasons. So attacking it would be quite a serious war crime. It's not a military installation, its a civilian structure. Whether that would make a difference to military planners is another story entirely.

[@PatriceRacine]

My thoughts exactly. I'm also surprised this point wasn't addressed. The US would certainly consider it because the global backslash would be enormous.

[@justandy333]

@@PatriceRacine indeed! Millions of civilian casualties isn't something they would take lightly. Whichever party is in power would be finished if they ever did that. As they said, that is akin to setting off a nuke!

[@zaccariareino6732]

Battlefield 4 anyone?

[@Ulrich_von_Jungingen]

I find this really interesting as I have thought the 3 Gorges dam would be a priority target if war was to break out.

[@user-hf3ed1vy9l]

The most important question - "Are US or Japan or South Corey or etc. ready to attack China at all?". We can see Ukraine - Russian war. And nobody tries to attack Russian dams. And I have huge doubts that US will have balls to do anything like that.

[@meowmur302]

The U.S. might not because of the humanitarian crisis it will cause, but Taiwan has already stated they will launch tomahawks at the dam in a sort of mutual destruction

[@oppx1]

@@meowmur302 Don't be a sheep like the other Americans. Taiwanese aren't stupid like the Americans. First of all, Chinese people don't like engaging in wars unless they really need to. It is unlikely that China would invade Taiwan, no matter how many times they say it. They will probably continue playing the political games with each other, with non-credible threats at the end of the day. The only problem I see is the US trying to stir problems in other nations. The US should fix its own issues first, with its broken system and shitty politicians, it will never become a nation that people would respect.

[@shawn97006]

I am very surprised you did not bring up the British method of dealing with gravity dams of dropping explosives into the water next to the dam and using the water as a damper.

[@Kriss_L]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Force_10_from_Navarone_(film)

[@josephpadula2283]

Operation Chastise, commonly known as the Dambusters Raid,[1][2] was an attack on German dams carried out on the night of 16/17 May 1943 by 617 Squadron RAF Bomber Command, later called the Dam Busters, using special "bouncing bombs" developed by Barnes Wallis. The Möhne and Edersee dams were breached, causing catastrophic flooding of the Ruhr valley and of villages in the Eder valley; the Sorpe Dam sustained only minor damage. Two hydroelectric power stations were destroyed and several more damaged. Factories and mines were also damaged and destroyed. An estimated 1,600 civilians - about 600 Germans and 1,000 enslaved labourers, mainly Soviet - were killed by the flooding. Despite rapid repairs by the Germans, production did not return to normal until September. The RAF lost 56 aircrew, with 53 dead and 3 captured, amid losses of 8 aircraft.

[@4thought___]

Who we gunna call? Dam- busters! 🇦🇺🇬🇧🇺🇸

[@davidarundel6187]

From recent videos seen about the dam , it could as easily break due to natural forces , as it moves quite a bit , depending how much its holding back , it can bow , quite a bit .

[@joestalin2375]

They must evacuate the women & children now!

[@kristopherruiz7644]

5:42 Wuhan...how fortunate...poetic even.

[@hughmungus2760]

keep in mind if its really a home to a bioweapon facility people claim it to be. the destruction of that facility would release every pathogen they were working on and storing. Meaning it is now a global extinction level event.

[@marcellino53]

The dam is almost breaking by itself. No need to worry

[@J_X999]

People have been saying that for a decade. People have given up waiting for it to collapse on it's own because it's not happening 😂

[@Mightydoggo]

Dam.

[@KonradvonHotzendorf]

Damnation

[@alanr5601]

Without doubt, the intentional targeting and destruction of the Three Gorges Dam would be an unfathomable disaster. Considering the scope of the loss in terms of lives, property, food and productivity, it would be very hard for the attacker to justify the attack on “proportionality” let alone any other international humanitarian or military standards that could apply. Hopefully, this will never happen. With that said, the consequences of the dam failing on its own is also a distinct possibility. Reports of movement, cracks and substandard construction quality are already abundant. Many of China’s projects suffer from the effects of corruption resulting in poor quality. For a structure as big and complex as the Three Gorges Dam it is frightening to think that there only needs to be a failure in one vulnerable location and the whole structure could fail. This brings up 2 key questions: 1.) Does anyone have enough confidence (especially considering the lack of transparency inside any public works in China) that the structure has been properly designed and constructed to meet its lifetime performance objectives?, and 2.) If it does fail with the resulting consequences noted if it had been attacked, would the Chinese government now be accountable for the disaster? (This brings up another thought that, given the Chinese government’s unwillingness to ever accept responsibility, it may be enticing to them to actually have some country/group attack the dam so it is destroyed before it fails on its own so they can place blame anywhere but with them. It’s all so sad to think about and the best most of us can do is hope none of these dark options come to pass). Thanks for a thought provoking video Warographics team!!

[@nolongerblocked6210]

"Tofu dreg" construction

[@katanabluejay]

If you're being conquered however ... I don't know if there is anything that's off the table

[@alanr5601]

Yep, that’s very true and brings up another scenario. In 1938, the retreating Nationalist army (KMT) breached the levee holding Yellow River flooding the area behind them (probably the biggest ecological warfare act in history). This slowed the advancing Imperial Japanese Army but also killed tens of thousands and displaced millions of Chinese civilians. The scenario implies there is a ground war inside China which may be even more terrible than any flood! The poor Chinese CIVILIANS have paid the biggest prices throughout history!😞

[@royk7712]

Any source of tofu dredge in tgd? Or it just trust me bro? It still standing still after 2 decade and it will be maintained a century later.

[@davenobody407]

Three Gorges Dam was designed during the 1960s to resist a tactic nuclear attack. No F-16 can damage that monster.

[@smokenwhisky9163]

To bad they used substandard construction.