The US Strategic Command, which controls American nuclear armaments and everything related to their use (including strategic communications) has launched Global Lightning drills designed to test the branch’s readiness to engage in nuclear warfare.
While the war games themselves have long been planned and are routine for the force, their timing, according to reports, is hardly the best. The US is constantly expressing concerns about an alleged Russian invasion of Ukraine and contemplating retaliatory options. The last Global Lightning drills in April 2021 involved the US using nuclear weapons as deterrence in a hypothetical standoff with Russia.
This year, however, Global Lightning focuses on a response to a potential nuclear conflict with China. The drill itself does not involve any nukes or even launches or bombings. Instead, the US Strategic Command checks nuclear command and control circuits, incorporates last year’s innovations into previous tactics, and tests decision-making in accordance with a nuclear war plan.
The latter was last updated in 2019, but the first scarce information about the changes emerged only recently via a Freedom of Information Request.
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