In summary, we capitalized on the speed and chemical accuracy of modern computerassisted synthetic planning to develop alternative and economical "contingency" plans for the synthesis of HCQ. Although these syntheses could, without doubt, be also identified by human experts alone, tracing them to inexpensive substrates while minimizing the use of previously-described methodologies might be a rather tedious and time-consuming enterprise, incompatible with the COVID-19 emergency at hand. In a broader context, this exercise made us realize that the current system of chemical/pharmaceutical production is heavily reliant on efficient but far-andbetween methods -while this approach works at "peacetime," it might be very vulnerable to the disruption of global supply chains of key starting materials, effectively leaving us without alternative means of production. Consequently, we advocate development of contingency plans for all other approved drugs in case they are needed in large quantities on a short call. It seems to us it is time to transition the planning of national/global chemical production of key therapeutics from Napoleonic improvisation ("I have never had a plan of operations") to von Moltke's farsighted calculation ("Strategy is a system of expedients").