According to a report from the CIA, the millennium bug could cause serious disruptions abroad, including breakdowns in nuclear reactors and strategic missile systems, midwinter power outages and disruptions in trade and oil shipments. Air Force General John Gordon, deputy director of the CIA, did emphasize that many of these predictions were based on assumptions since gaps in information make it hard to assess the scope of damage in foreign countries.
Russia, for example, has exhibited a low level of awareness for the Y2K problems that could occur. Midwinter power outages could have major humanitarian consequences in Russia and the Ukraine. Gordon did stress that they did not see a danger of unauthorized or inadvertent launch of ballistic missiles. He also pointed out that China will probably experience failures in key sectors such as telecommunications, electric power, and banking.
This CIA report comes at a time when the U.S. Senate is assessing the potential impact of the millennium bug on this country. Senators Robert Bennett and Christopher Dodd state in their latest report that the consequences of Y2K should not be underestimated. They say in a letter to their colleagues that, "We will be confronted with one of the most serious and potentially devastating events this nation has ever encountered."
Their report also points out that many foreign countries will be vulnerable, and that certain private U.S. industries will be affected as well. Some of those industries include health care, food processing, and shipping.
Senators Bennett and Dodd say, "This problem will affect all individually and collectively in very profound ways, from the availability of electrical power to the quality of our health care."
Taken together this new reports warn us that the millennium bug may affect us in some very significant ways. I believe Christians should consider this issue with prayer and preparation, and then take appropriate action.
I'm Kerby Anderson of Probe Ministries, and that's my opinion.