Vox posted an interesting take on an industrial “accident” in Louisiana.

It is very unlikely that the six explosions that destroyed a Dow Chemical plant in Louisiana were simply an industrial accident:

A fire at a Louisiana chemical plant triggered explosions that shook homes several miles away and sent flames and smoke billowing into the air, prompting emergency officials to urge a few hundred nearby residents to shelter indoors for several hours and to turn off their air conditioners.

Flames erupted late Friday at Dow Chemical’s plant on the Mississippi River near Plaquemine, south of Baton Rouge. Iberville Parish officials told The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate that the fire started in an area of the plant that handles ethylene oxide, a flammable and toxic chemical.

The sheriff told WBRZ-TV that six explosions were detected at the plant around 9:30 p.m. Friday. Tall flames could be seen rising from the site, with thick smoke overhead. Residents felt their homes shake in Baton Rouge, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) away, WAFB-TV reported.

Ethylene oxide is a primary component of thermobaric munitions, which includes the AGM-114 Hellfire missile, the BLU-118/B thermobaric bomb, the XM1060 40mm thermobaric grenade, and the SMAW-NE antitank missile. While it’s possible that the timing of the plant’s destruction was coincidental, the fact that it took place as NATO is desperately attempting to ramp up munitions production to replace its depleted stocks tends to suggest that covert enemy ops were responsible.

As unpleasant as it may be to contemplate the possibility, the USA is now almost certainly finding itself on the business end of the special operations spear that it has so heavily utilized around the world for the last 40 years. While one assumes the Russians are the most likely culprits, the Chinese have been preparing for direct conflict with the US military for more than 20 years and it is certainly in their interest to ensure that US munitions supplies remain scarce.

If this was a covert attack, then it will certainly drive the likes of Lispy Graham to call for further escalation. How that works out with extremely limited MIC supplies, one questions. If this was really an attack, then it most likely won’t be the last. Ultimately, as this event, martial or accidental, weakens the GAE’s already depleted military capability, it will be a good thing for Americans.