Drills

US Military to Conduct Large-Scale Drills to Counter 'Strategic Threats'

Beginning Saturday, the drill entitled "Global Lightning 2016" will integrate "nearly every conceivable strategic threat to our nation to ensure the resilience, redundancy and survivability of our strategic deterrent forces, while stressing the STRATCOM capabilities provided to geographic combatant commanders in a crisis or contingency," the release noted.

While the release did not name specific threats, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter lists five targets for US military deterrence in nearly every public speech. They are: Russia, China, North Korea, Iran and Islamist-inspired terrorist attacks.

"To deter strategic threats and defend the nation, our forces must be ready and prepared to execute all assigned missions and provide our unique capabilities to the joint and combined force," STRATCOM Commander Admiral Cecil D. Haney said in the release.

STRATCOM, one of nine commands that direct US military operations worldwide, is in charge of overall strategic deterrence, space operations, cyberspace operations, joint electronic warfare, missile defense, intelligence, and combating weapons of mass destruction, the release explained.