Man, i've been distracted by other matters lately, but that is a Formosa Hut Hall-of-Fame fucking post.

It distills the situation we're in. It's called reality, but it's not.

A few thoughts about war in 2026

We are already in an unconventional world war, unconventional because it isn't a cold war in the historic sense. It's a very hot war, it's just not being fought with conventional weapons and tactics -- planes, bombs, boots on the ground, etc.

Right on. It's a cyber-war. Where AI-powered drones are the next break-through weapon. Electricity, Internet are the targets. Whoever controls that space controls the world.

How often now do you read of a major bank or credit company or health insurer getting their data hacked?

Often. Actually less n less these days. So long as these banks, insurance companies, etc have got your data, then losing it ... is not good ... but it's not a total disaster.
You've still got the data. Data is the currency. I doubt they give a shit.

A total disaster would be if they lost access to it entirely, which is theoretically possible.
Would involve knocking out their back-up, but theoretically doable with a few well-placed drones.
That would pique their interest. What's the text message for that: Due to an unprecedented outage, all your money is gone. Is there anything else we can help you with today?

I don't even pay attention anymore. The records of hundreds of millions of people stolen in a single hit. What's happening? Is that warfare? I think sometimes, certainly. Airlines get grounded due to 'computer glitches' and such. Entire airlines.

United Airlines flights grounded nationwide for 30 minutes due to 'connectivity issue'

It's warfare alright. Data-war. Orwell - Huxley's well-reasoned Big War: the War on individuality/free thinking (one of Formosa Hut's topics for many years).

This feels like the bit where all individuality gets hoovered up by the ORG-GODS.
Which, theoretically, will result in the collapse of existence, if the goal of uniting all thought as one is achieved.
Without (critical) Observation, you ain't got jack-shit. The Big Implosion.

Right now I think we're in a skirmishing phase. What happens if it escalates to all out warfare in this new theater? Electric grids out? Engineered information that causes panic about the food safety or supply?

Can tell you for a fact, The Aussies would be fucked. The electric & internet grids could not be more exposed/fragile. You wouldn't even need your cyber warfare - sneeze violently in their direction it would collapse.

And here's the thing - for a geographically large country like the US or Australia or China, this new type of war is more disruptive to the average person than a conventional war. Why wage conventional war when you can do more damage with this new, improved approach?

The new normal: https://www.particle6.com/

A key point from your post is that it's an obvious war going on, involving game-changing weapons, that's not been declared as a war.

It goes on in the secret realm of intelligence agencies/govs playing games, though the impacts of it are being felt increasingly by normal mushroom people.