[kalos72]

I put clean usable water and a decent food supply as top priorities for sure. But I honestly dont see food/water as being too hard to come by if your not going with the Howling Wilderness version of a dead America. Yes it would take effort and organization but it wouldn't be some Herculean effort...in my world anyways.

Fuel because you cant clear your land of marauders and Mexicans if you dont have fuel to run your Army on.

Coal for power, steam power, heating fuel, metal refining/forging.

Salt for food preservation primarily.

Concrete, block or brick production for new building construction.

Electronics repair/long range radio comms would probably be next. I do have two nuclear plants in my region after all.

Then ammo/weapon production to keep the Army "fed" if you will.

I do think it will be possible to keep modern aircraft flying, taking it to a one by one manufacturing process or perhaps like the DC Groups work on "US Recovery Plan" where you make two of each item to start to built a stock.

But I do like the idea of starting to build new P-51's and Flying Boxcar tech level airplanes like KFS did in the MP.

Railway clear/maintenance and repair.

Sailing Ship construction for world trade and exploration.

And all the while, Salvage. The world will have tons and tons of it...you just have to be the first to get at it.