BY: Bill Gertz Follow @BillGertz
May 11, 2014 7:30 pm

The U.S. Strategic Command, which is in charge of waging nuclear war, will hold large-scale bomber exercises this week—days after Russia held what Moscow called “massive” war games simulating a U.S. and NATO nuclear attack.

Ten U.S. B-52 bombers and up to six B-2 strategic bombers will take part in the war games called “Global Lightning 14” from Monday through May 16, the command said in a statement late Sunday.

The purpose is to “demonstrate flexibility and responsiveness in training scenarios throughout the continental U.S.,” the command said in a statement from its Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska headquarters.

“This exercise provides unique training opportunities to incorporate the most current technology and techniques in support of our mission,” said Adm. Cecil Haney, Strategic Command commander. “Continued focus and investment in our strategic capabilities allow US Stratcom to deter, dissuade, and defeat current and future threats to the U.S. and our allies.”

Global Lightning, planned for more than a year,  will began days after Russian President Vladimir Putin last week oversaw what Russian defense officials called a “massive” nuclear war drill that simulated U.S. and NATO nuclear attacks.

Stratcom said in its statement, in an apparent reference to the Russian war games, that “the timing of the exercise is unrelated to real-world events.”

Tensions remain high between the United States and Russia over Moscow’s military annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula and ongoing pro-Russian unrest in eastern Ukraine.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Sunday declined to categorize Russia as an enemy, despite its aggression in Ukraine.

“We’re not at war with Russia, so do define an enemy as being at war or not at war?” Hagel said on ABC’s This Week.

Russia is “an adversary in Ukraine, sure,” he said.

“But I think that’s a little simplistic to get into either enemy, friend, partner, so on,” Hagel said. “Russia continues to isolate itself for a short-term gain. The Russians may feel that somehow they’re winning, but the war was not about just short term.”

U.S. officials have said some 40,000 to 80,000 Russian troops are deployed within a short distance of Ukraine’s eastern border.

Russia is seeking to create a federated state in Ukraine as part of Putin’s announced plan to restore elements of the Soviet Union. The Russian leader regards many of the former Soviet republics surrounding Russia, including Ukraine, as the “near abroad” that Moscow wants to control.

The Russian war games included the test launch of a SS-25 Topol intercontinental missile and two SS-N-23 submarine-launched ballistic missiles. Additional missile firings included six Russian air-launched nuclear-capable cruise missiles.

It could not be learned if Global Lightning will include U.S. missile launches.

A Stratcom spokeswoman declined to provide further details of the exercise.

“Global Lightning 14 is designed to provide training opportunities and to test and validate command and control procedures for U.S. Strategic Command and its subordinate units,” said Army Lt. Col. Stephanie Bounds, the spokeswoman.

“Just as technology changes, so do the threats. This exercise provides the opportunity to incorporate the most current technology and techniques in support of our mission.”

The command “is constantly honing its capabilities to deter, dissuade, and defeat current and future threats to the U.S. and our allies,” she said.

Bounds declined to provide details of the exercise but said: “All activities are designed to test and validate command and control procedures for U.S. Strategic Command and its subordinate units.”

A U.S. official said the U.S. Cyber Command, part of Strategic Command, will take part in the exercises that are said to include simulated cyber attacks against Strategic Command communications and command systems.

Mark Schneider, a former Pentagon nuclear strategy official, said the Russian exercises appeared intended as a political message to the West.

Schneider said Russia usually holds its nuclear drills in the fall and the timing of last week’s war games “suggests to me that the intent was nuclear intimidation against NATO over the Ukraine.”

Moscow on April 14 also conducted a test launch of a new ICBM called the SS-27 by NATO that carried multiple simulated warheads that analysts say potentially violated the 2010 New START arms treaty.

Moscow and Washington also have been battling over Russia’s plan to upgrade aircraft used in conducting permitted spy flights over the United States that intelligence officials say could undermine U.S. security. The flights are carried out under the Open Skies Treaty.

Russia temporarily blocked a U.S. overflight of Russia and a spokesman mentioned the dispute over the new Russian aircraft in criticizing U.S. officials.

The Obama administration also recently turned down a proposal from Russia aimed at resolving differences over U.S. and NATO missile defenses in Europe. Moscow is opposing the deployment of interceptors and radar in the region and has charged the United States with seeking to counter Russian strategic offensive missiles.

The administration insists the missile defenses are aimed at countering Iranian long-range missile threats.

http://www.ericsonreport.com/u-s-to-conduct-strategic-bomber-exercise/

U.S. to Conduct Strategic Bomber Exercise.

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• DK

  Ye Gods, if its not NSA Nelaphim Nazis from mars nonsense spam it is Hard Hat spam copied straight from the Times copy of the Whitehouse offcial version of History as we say it is.

  Articles must be balanced.

  Russia did not size Crimea, over 80% of its population were former USSR servicemen and Russian by birth, in 1992 the Crimea declared independance from Ukraine, accepting autonomy as a compromise. The resident population had access to arms and ammunition, mostly from police and Ukraine government forces who fled there during the armed coup. The population was already military trained and did not need Russian military support.

  Russia already had 15,000 armed personnel in the Crimea in Svestapol out of its 40,000 total.

  None of Russias military left barracks during the crisis until pipelines entering Crimea were about to be sabotaged and then they only took the pumping station into protective custody.

  Russia allowed overflights and observers to monitor its troops throughout the Crimean succession, there were no more than the 40,000 already there.

  Ukraine has had the orange revolution ongoing since 1996, which has effectively crippled its politics and helped bankrupt the nation. Most of the nation is literally fed up with the oligarchs who have now taken charge with the facist regime, it was their purchase of public assets for rubles which helped crash the economy.

  The CIA installed revolution which overthrew the elected legitimate government and president after said president had offered to resign, call elections and submit to EU oversight follows the Svoboda programme which aims to ensure an ethnically complient nation of Ukranian speakers and rank the population by their Ukranian nationality, if you dont speak Ukranian, you will not have a job, be allowed to vote, hold citizenship or property in Ukraine.

  At this point where the population has lost its legitimate Government, its rights and property, it has decided to excercise its rights.(1996 INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS http://cil.nus.edu.sg/1966/1966-international-covenant-on-civil-and-political-rights-iccpr/)

  And the US, its allies and the Financial Community under the IMF have not the right to declare those rights void or illigitimate through political spokespersond such as William Haig, Senitor Kerry and the state and media mogul owned mouthpieces which are illegal under Article 1, (3), Article 5, (1) of 1996 INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS and any person, reporter or state spokesperson who states elections are illigitmate when they are held under the auspices of the right of self determination have comitted the offence of the attempt to deny such people their human rights as respected under the same covenant which is now law in all UN states.

  Especially when they declare a Nazi dictatorship legitimate and any form of Democratic Government, even a ballot illegal.

  May 12, 2014, 10:01 am -1 Reply