Drills

Esper Plays Nuclear War: Russia Nukes Europe, US Fires Back

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper took part in a classified military drill this week in which Russia and the United States traded nuclear strikes, Pentagon officials said on background Friday.

The “mini exercise” held at U.S. Strategic Command headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska, on Thursday comes just weeks after the U.S. confirmed that it has deployed controversial low-yield nuclear missiles on Navy submarines, and as the Trump administration asks Congress to approve $44 billion to buy new nuclear weapons and maintain its existing arsenal.

“The scenario included a European contingency where you’re conducting a war with Russia and Russia decides to use a low-yield, limited nuclear weapon against a site on NATO territory,” a senior defense official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss classified military drills.

The U.S. fired back with what the senior official called a “limited response” to Moscow’s nuclear attack in Europe.

Drills

US sending 20,000 troops to Europe for largest exercises since Cold War

The United States will send 20,000 troops to Europe in May for the biggest military exercises on the continent since before the fall of the Berlin Wall, according to Reuters.

U.S. Maj. Gen. Barre Seguin said the exercises, centered in Germany, will underscore the U.S. commitment to NATO, according to the news service.

"This really demonstrates transatlantic unity and the U.S. commitment to NATO," said Seguin, who serves as deputy chief of staff for strategic employment, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe.

As part of the exercises, the U.S. Army will assess its preparedness to move soldiers overseas to the Netherlands and Belgium and then east through Germany and Poland. After joining U.S. personnel stationed throughout Europe and 18 other NATO allies’ military forces constituting around 37,000 troops in all, the U.S. forces will return to the U.S.

Drills

Catastrophic disasters could hit millions of Americans in the coming years. What can the Army do?

This past summer, the Guard, primarily Task Force 46 out of Michigan, continued its three-year annual exercise for responding to a mass casualty attack, chemical or nuclear, in Detroit.

That exercise will rotate to other major cities in the coming years to build partnerships and planning with local, state and other federal agencies.

In part, that’s a reflection of lessons learned from other disasters.

Maj. Gen. Patrick Hamilton, 36th Infantry Division commander, noted that before Hurricane Katrina, many state leaders didn’t quite understand what the Army could provide.

“They started asking for stuff,” he said. “They didn’t really know how much but started asking for ‘stuff’.”

For example, he said he’d get a call for a dozen trucks, but not be told what the person was going to use them for.

Drills

‘We got zero notice’: Army resumes Cold War-era snap deployments to Europe

The infantrymen of the 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment were in the middle of gunnery exercises in El Paso, Texas, on March 11 when the call came in from division headquarters: deploy to Poland.

“We got zero notice,” said Col. Chad Chalfont, commander of the 2nd Armored Brigade, 1st Armored Division, the battalion’s higher headquarters located on Cold War Road at Fort Bliss.

A week later, 1,500 brigade soldiers were bound for training grounds in western Poland in a deployment reminiscent of the Cold War, when no-notice mobilizations were a main feature of the military’s strategy for countering the old Soviet Union.

Now, the Army is relearning the art of snap deployments as it adapts to a new Pentagon strategy — known as Dynamic Force Employment — that calls upon the military as a whole to keep adversaries off balance with more unpredictable troop movements.

“We are going to see this on a regular basis,” said Maj. Gen. John Gronski, deputy commanding general for the Army National Guard at U.S. Army Europe. “For any of our adversaries anywhere, it is going to be unpredictable for them. And that is good for our national security. This is all about deterrence and readiness.”

Drills

NATO's biggest military exercise in years just started, but Russia may be more worried about 2 countries that aren't members of the alliance

Trident Juncture officially started Thursday, with some 50,000 troops from all 29 NATO members and Sweden and Finland preparing for drills on land, sea, and in the air from the Baltic Sea to Iceland. As a NATO Article 5 exercise, Trident Juncture "will simulate NATO's collective response to an armed attack against one ally," the organization's secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, said this month. "And it will exercise our ability to reinforce our troops from Europe and across the Atlantic." NATO has increased deployments and readiness in Europe since Russia's 2014 incursion in Ukraine, as countries there have grown wary of their larger neighbor. Stoltenberg has said the exercise will be "fictitious but realistic." But Russia has still taken exception.

Drills

Massive NATO exercise starts in Poland and the Baltics

A massive US-led military exercise involving 18,000 soldiers from 19 nations, primarily NATO members, kicked off Sunday along the alliance's eastern border.

Saber Strike 18 will take place until June 15 in Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.

The multinational exercise, which is being held for the eighth time, "is the platform to validate our collective capability to rapidly respond to and reinforce allies in a time of crisis," said US Army Europe. It is "a clear demonstration of the commitment and solidarity of the alliance."

The exercise will be conducted amid heightened tensions with Moscow, which views any NATO military activities along its border negatively, maintaining that it increases "mutual distrust."

Poland recently revealed it is considering a proposal for a permanent deployment of US troops to the country -- a move Russia denounced as "gradual expansion of NATO" towards its borders.

Russia and China’s Alliance of Convenience

Drills

Russia and China’s Alliance of Convenience

China and Russia conducted a six-day military exercise last week. The exercise simulated attacks on both countries from ballistic and cruise missiles. The Chinese Ministry of Defense declined to identify which country was the simulated aggressor in the exercise, but it’s not hard to figure out that it was the United States.

A few days into the exercise, the Trump administration published its National Security Strategy. The document is 68 pages long, but one line in particular from the second page has been quoted endlessly in the media: “China and Russia challenge American power, influence, and interests.” These two developments raise the same question: Is a Sino-Russian alliance emerging?

Military cooperation between Russia and China has indeed increased in recent years. The two main vectors for this cooperation have been weapons purchases and military exercises. Since the end of the Cold War, China has been the Russian weapons industry’s largest and most consistent customer. One of China’s more recent and consequential acquisitions from Russia, S-400 surface-to-air missile defense systems, are set to be delivered to Beijing in 2018. China’s current SAM force has a range of only about 185 miles (300 kilometers). The S-400s will have a range of 250 miles. This will put all of Taiwan within range of Chinese SAMs and will extend China’s range in the East and South China seas.

Drills

Putin personally launches four ballistic missiles: Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin personally launched four ballistic missiles as part of military drills, his spokesman said Friday.
Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin, who is the supreme commander-in-chief of Russia’s Armed Forces, took part in the military exercises Thursday, Russian news agency TASS reported.
The revelation came after the country's defense ministry said Thursday that three ballistic missiles were fired from nuclear submarines and one was launched from the northwest of the country as part of the drills.
Russian President Vladimir Putin personally launched four ballistic missiles as part of military drills, his spokesman said Friday.
Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin, who is the supreme commander-in-chief of Russia’s Armed Forces, took part in the military exercises Thursday, Russian news agency TASS reported.
The revelation came after the country's defense ministry said Thursday that three ballistic missiles were fired from nuclear submarines and one was launched from the northwest of the country as part of the drills.

Drills

Zapad-2017 strategic exercise kicks off in Russia and Belarus

The Zapad-2017 (or West 2017) joint Russian-Belarusian military drills have kicked off in the two countries, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

"Heads of military administrative bodies and commanders of units involved in the drills have received instructions from the General Staff of the Union State concerning their training tasks," the statement reads.

The drills involve up to 12,700 troops, including 7,200 Belarusian and around 5,500 Russian troops, with up to 3,000 of them deployed to Belarus.

"Staged tactical events and live firing exercises, involving aircraft and air defense units, will take place at the Lepelsky, Losvido, Borisovsky, Osipovichesky, Ruzhansky and Domanovsky training ranges, as well as in the Dretun area in Belarus, and also at the Luzhsky, Strugi Krasnye and Pravdinsky training ranges in Russia.

Drills

Federal authorities hold nuclear attack drills near Manhattan as North Korea shows off its military might

As Kim Jong-Un showed off North Korea's military might in a live-artillery drill on Tuesday, federal authorities just outside of New York City were testing their response to a nuclear attack. 

The drill - called 'Operation Gotham Shield' - practices how federal agencies, local emergency management teams and medics would respond to the hypothetical situation of a 10-kiloton nuclear bomb exploding on the New Jersey side of the Lincoln tunnel.

On Tuesday, the second day of the four-day drill, emergency officials gathered at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey - which would be used as a decontamination and casualty center in such an incident. 

Drills

Russian Nuclear Submarines Hold Underwater Torpedo 'Duel' in Arctic

Two nuclear submarines of the Russian Northern Fleet held an underwater torpedo duel in the Barents Sea, the deputy head of the Northern Fleet's press service, Captain II rank Andrei Luzik, said.

The Russian strategic missile-carrying Yuri Dolgoruky submarine and the multipurpose Obninsk submarine held the exercise during combat training in the Arctic, the press service of the Northern Fleet said on Friday.

"Submarines' crews completed planned tasks of the combat training course at deep-water testing ranges in the Barents Sea. Torpedo firing on underwater targets was the most difficult and responsible stage of the joint exercises of the two ships. The submarines carried out [the drill] in a duel option."

Drills

U.S. Navy kicks off military drills with NATO on Russia's doorstep

The destroyer Porter and a P8-A Poseidon sub hunter on Wednesday kicked off the at-sea portion of a Romanian-hosted exercise with NATO forceson Russia's doorstep. 

Exercise Sea Shield is an annual maritime drill designed to get the countries used to working together in the event of a conflict, according to a Navy release. 

“We've already strengthened our interoperability through the in-port planning phase of Sea Shield 2017, and Porter in particular is looking forward to the operational phase at sea,” said Cmdr. Andria Slough, the Porter’s skipper. “Advanced exercises like Sea Shield provide us with an opportunity to work across all warfare areas, ultimately improving our combined readiness and naval capability with our Black Sea allies and partners.” 

Drills

Philippines Open to Joint Military Drills With Russia

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte would be open to the idea of conducting joint military exercises with Russia, presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said Thursday.

"The president has said that he is open to joint military exercises with Russia, the goodwill visit by the Russian Navy will contribute to the strengthening of friendship with the Philippine navy, it also is an indication of our maritime cooperation can further be enhanced by naval diplomacy and camaraderie," Abella said at a press briefing. On Tuesday, Russia's Admiral Tributs anti-submarine destroyer and Boris Butoma sea tanker arrived in the Philippines for a four-day visit. During the press conference dedicated to the visit, Rear Adm. Eduard Mikhailov said that the Russian and Philippine governments would negotiate potential bilateral navy drills soon.

Drills

Russians Conduct Nuclear-Bomb Survival Drills as Cold War Heats Up

Russian authorities have stepped up nuclear-war survival measures amid a showdown with Washington, dusting off Soviet-era civil-defense plans and upgrading bomb shelters in the biggest cities.

At the Kremlin’s Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Cold War is back.

The country recently held its biggest civil defense drills since the collapse of the U.S.S.R., with what officials said were 40 million people rehearsing a response to chemical and nuclear threats.

Videos of emergency workers deployed in hazmat suits or checking the ventilation in bomb shelters were prominently aired on television when the four days of drills were held across the country. Students tried on gas masks and placed dummies on stretchers in school auditoriums.

Drills

Iskander missiles deployment to Kaliningrad part of drill, not secret – Russian military

The deployment of Iskander missile system to Russia’s exclave of Kaliningad close to the border with Poland is part of regular drills and was not a secret, the Russian Defense Ministry announced Saturday.

“First of all, the authors behind the fuss should know that the Iskander missile system is a mobile one,” ministry spokesman General Igor Konashenkov told journalists on Saturday.

“As part of the combat training plan, units of the [Russian] Missile Forces throughout the year improve their marching capabilities by covering great distances across the territory of the Russian Federation in various ways: by air, sea and on their own."

Konashenkov noted that Kaliningrad “is no exemption here” and that the system will be relocated to the exclave in the future “as part of the military training of the Russian armed forces.”

Drills

The Russians Are... Just Practicing

Russia is indeed holding a large-scale, three-day disaster drill involving 40 million people starting on 4 October 2016, but nothing in official statements about the drills (at least the ones in English) mention fears of a nuclear strike. According to a bulletin posted on the English-language web site belonging to Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations, or EMERCOM:

The All-Russian civil defense drill started today in Russia. The first stage of the drill is practicing organization of civil defense actions, disaster and fire management, notification and gathering of senior officials of federal and regional executive authorities, local governments and civil defense forces, deployment of civil defense management system on all levels, readying civil defense communication and notification system.

Drills

Russia, Pakistan conduct first-ever joint military drills (PHOTOS)

Russian and Pakistani servicemen conducted their first joint military exercises in Pakistan in a historic moment of cooperation between the former Cold War rivals.

A series of war games known as Friendship 2016 kicked off Monday, opening at a special forces academy in Cherat. During the ceremony, Russian forces showed the Pakistanis their weaponry, including the VSS Vintorez sniper rifle and the NRS-2 combat knife.

On Tuesday, over 40 soldiers from the two countries took part in a mountain training exercise. Carrying equipment weighing around 15kg, representatives from the Southern Military District’s mountain infantry brigade based in Karachay-Cherkessiya demonstrated how to make a safety mechanism using a station knot.

Their Pakistani colleagues returned the favor, showing them another safety mechanism using a special rope with three knots. Both systems would come in useful under extreme circumstances, where access to resources is limited.

Drills

Chemical, biological and nuclear threats focus of NATO exercise in Alberta

The possibility of a terrorist attack using biological or chemical weapons makes the focus of a 15-day NATO training exercise at Canada's largest training base even more important, says a counterterrorism expert.
Even though the majority of recent attacks have involved explosives or armed gunmen, that doesn't mean a more serious threat isn't out there, says Chris Corry with Defence Research and Development Canada.
"Although people think it's a low-risk threat, it's a high consequence threat," the former Canadian infantry officer said Tuesday.
Exercise Precise Response 2016 at Canadian Forces Base Suffield in southeastern Alberta isn't about high-tech military equipment or heavily armed soldiers. It is focusing on chemical, biological, radiological and explosive material.
More than 350 chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear specialists from 10 NATO countries -- including Canada, the United States, Britain, France and Germany -- are testing their skills in a realistic environment. Nearly all of the participants are wearing some sort of biohazard suit.

Drills

Germany Blocked Flying NATO’s Flag During E. Europe Military Drills

The drills, with over 30,000 personnel from 24 nations participating, are the largest event of its kind since the end of the 20th-century Cold War. Following Kremlin observances that the maneuvers near Russian borders threaten regional security, the US called for a bigger military buildup.

US Army Europe Commander Gen. Ben Hodges lamented that the war games were not big enough, saying that all the troops involved in the drills would not fill an average soccer stadium.

Another party that has consistently called for an aggressive military posture against Russia is Poland, according to Lisa Sawyer Samp, an analyst for the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), speaking with Defense News. Warsaw pushed for NATO flags to be flown in exercises held on Polish soil, despite that the alliance did not “have a consensus” on the issue.

Drills

U.S. Paratroopers Drop Into Poland to Send Putin a Message

Thirty-five U.S. paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division’s quick reaction force -- cheeks, foreheads and necks slathered in green-brown camouflage paint -- jumped into Poland Tuesday in a tightly timed sequence that lasted only 22 seconds.

They were in the lead plane of six C-17s that dropped more than 400 Americans in a simultaneous operation with Polish and British paratroopers to show the allies could deter an assertive Russia after President Vladimir Putin’s seizure of Crimea and intervention in Ukraine. It’s being run in combination with a major Polish land exercise called “Exercise Anakonda.”