Pentagon Drawing War Plans Against Russia - from TRUNEWS

The Pentagon is drawing up contingency plans for a war with Russia.

The move, the first since the collapse of the Soviet Union, reflects that Russia aggression is now considered a very real threat to the national security of the United States.

NATO headquarters

“Given the security environment, given the actions of Russia, it has become apparent that we need to make sure to update the plans that we have in response to any potential aggression against any NATO allies,” a senior defense official familiar with the updated plans told Foreign Policy.

The new military plans have a two scenario approach.

The first scenario is what the United States would do in response to Russia acting against a NATO member.  The second is the US acting alone outside of the NATO structure.  Both consider what would happen if the Russians attempted to do in the Baltics what they had successfully done in Crimea:  manufactured protests, “rebel” forces with Russian military support and cyberwarfare.

Reportedly, the Pentagon is about seven years behind NATO commanders in designing a plan for conflict with Russia.  After Russia’s war with Georgia in 2008, NATO updated their contingency plans for all forms of Russian aggression against NATO members and regions.

The US military has been sending a regular contingent of arms to Europe as part of “Operation Atlantic Resolve”, designed to bolster defenses against Russia.  Russia responded in kind with more troops along the border and Russian President Vladimir Putin said he has 40 new intercontinental nuclear missiles ready for launch.  The US is considering deploying nuclear missiles into the eastern European region in response.

Launch of a Russian missile

“As you look at published Russian doctrine, I do believe people are thinking about use of tactical nuclear weapons in a way that hadn’t been thought about for many years,” the senior official told FP.

Multiple sources told FP that US intelligence was completely unprepared for Russia’s actions in Crimea, believing that after the 2008 incident with Georgia Russian leaders would allow the borders to remain unchanged in the long term.

The Pentagon source told FP that despite Russia’s aggression, many in the Obama administration want to work with Russia more as an ally than an adversary.

“We would like to be partners with Russia. We think that is the preferred course — that it benefits us, it benefits Russia, and it benefits the rest of the world,” the senior defense official says. “But as the Department of Defense, we’re not paid to look at things through rose-colored glasses and hence must be prepared in case we’re wrong about Russia’s actions and plan for if Russia were to become a direct adversary. Again, I don’t predict that and I certainly don’t want it, but we need to be prepared in case that could happen.”

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