Resource Wars

The Resource Wars refer to a series of conflicts brought on by an unsustainable global economy that heavily relied on finite resources such as petroleum and uranium.

Background
Several violent engagements took place, including the annexation of Canada by the United States and the Chinese invasion of Anchorage, Alaska. European powers fought in the Middle East. Once the Chinese were pushed from Alaska, United States forces were deployed to mainland China, where they experienced a stalemate.

In the United States, anti-Communist propaganda was created which fueled paranoia. The United States Army also commissioned the development of Liberty Prime, intended to be a superweapon. Troops such as the 5th Infantry were stationed overseas on the Island of Mambajao. The nuclear threat was thought contained at the time, as an ideal nuclear first strike scenario (according to DIA intelligence at the time) would only succeed in destroying 41% of the American nuclear stockpile. At Fort Strong, T-51 Power Armor was developed and subsequently shipped to China, where they were reported as effective in gaining troop surrenders. Troops that had already completed their tours of duty were redeployed.

Great War
The Resource Wars ended by way of nuclear war, known as the Great War on October 23, 2077. High-yield nuclear missiles were shot from a Chinese submarine in the Boston area. At 09:13 EST, the IONDS detected the first four missile launches and the United States went to DEFCON 2 and four minutes later, NORAD confirmed launches. At 09:26 EST, the president ordered a retaliatory strike according to scenario MX-CN91 and the first nukes hit in Pennsylvania and New York at 09:42 EST. By 09:47 EST, the facilities were offline.

Behind the scenes
The Resource Wars are mentioned in the Fallout Bible.