I really hope it’s only an economic crisis. There are plans in place to control the population in that event, starting with a couple days of grid down, followed by a week or so of rolling blackouts. This will give them enough time to transport our personnel back from all those far flung military bases so they can set up augmented security at military bases, National Guard Armories, and food distribution centers.
Next comes the rationing of gasoline in favor of food production/transport, LEO, medical, and military. Then control of communications, where only those few with a GETS card will actually be able to make their cell phones work. Finally, food rationing and curfews. Forget FEMA camps; not economically viable. Much easier to restrict the population to the familiarity of their own communities. Less restive that way.
Forget about dealing with survivalists making their treks to their retreats. That’s a short-term situation (while they travel); they are self-isolating and less of a burden on the current infrastructure that way.
Then you can roll out the new monetary and banking system, and start things back up region by region. You’ll never get back to BAU, but you might be able to achieve something sustainable since 90% of corporations won’t exist anymore.
Yeah, there will be people with deer rifles and semi-auto black rifles wandering the countryside, but that’s what Predators, Warthogs, and Apaches are for.
If you think the majority of the military won’t support this, just take a look at historical accounts of Colombia, Panama, Venezuela, Cambodia, Balkans, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Poland, Hungary, Germany, France, China, Russia, Turkey… When faced with making someone else starve or die, or letting your own starve or die, it becomes a no-brainer for most.
If it’s only an economic crisis, there is a possible transition to something sustainable. Peak Oil and Climate Change? Not so much. Both of those feature economic collapse as just a starting point, leading quickly to famine and mass starvation. When the military can’t feed its own, all bets will be off.
The period after all that is what I’m preparing my children for.