The US conducts the first nuclear weapons exercises since the start of the war in Ukraine
According to a Defense Department press release, the Pentagon will begin simulating a nuclear war for the first time since the war broke out in Ukraine. The war games come as the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists warns that a war to end civilization is closer than at any time in history.
The military exercises, dubbed Global Thunder 23, will be conducted by the Strategic Command (STRATCOM). American soldiers and bombers will join allies in war games. The STRATCOM press release states that this year's exercises "will include an increase in bomber flights throughout the duration of the exercise."
Global Thunder is an annual war game. Exercises usually take place at the end of the year. Last year, the Pentagon postponed Global Thunder to early 2023. This year's iteration of Global Thunder is the first since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. During Global Thunder 22, held in November 2021, US strategic bombers flew 12.4 miles from the Russian border and simulated a nuclear strike.
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STRATCOM argues that war games "are not in response to actions by a nation or other actors," but are intended "to enhance nuclear readiness and to ensure a safe, secure, and reliable strategic deterrent force."
However a US military official said in 2019 that training missions in Europe could be used to perfect bombing techniques. “It is no longer just to go and partner with our NATO allies or to have a visible American air power presence,” said Col. Michael Miller, commander of the 2nd Bomb Wing. "That's part of us, but we're also there to drop weapons if asked."
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has warned that the proxy war between Washington and Moscow is pushing the world towards nuclear conflict. “ We live in an age of unprecedented danger and the doomsday clock reflects this reality. 90 seconds to midnight is the closest to midnight the clock has ever reached, and it's a decision our experts do not take lightly, ” Rachel Bronson, president and chief executive officer of the BAS, said in January. The question remains as to whether this type of exercise will not push this clock forward even further.
“The US government, its NATO allies and Ukraine have a multitude of channels for dialogue at their disposal; we invite leaders to explore them all to the fullest extent of their ability to turn back the clock”.
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The article The US carries out the first nuclear exercises since the beginning of the war in Ukraine comes from Scenari Economics .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/gli-usa-eseguono-le-prime-esercitazioni-nucleari-belliche-dallinizio-della-guerra-in-ucraina/ on Thu, 13 Apr 2023 19:26:49 +0000.