Russia’s Latest Large Strategic Nuclear Exercise and Russia’s Nuclear Doctrine

Mark B. Schneider

Source Link

Russia’s Latest Large Strategic Nuclear Exercise and Russia’s Nuclear Doctrine: The Implications for U.S. Nuclear Deterrence

In late October 2024, Russia conducted its normally annual large strategic nuclear exercise. Russia frequently calls it Grom (Thunder in Russian) although this latest exercise was unnamed.

Many announced aspects of it were similar to past Grom exercises, particularly those conducted over the last five years or so. The main target of Russia’s simulated nuclear strikes was almost certainly the United States.

In a program hosted by Dmitry Kiselyov, Russian state television Rossiya 1 (Channel 1) declared the exercise represented, “Nuclear greetings from Putin exactly a week before the U.S. election.”[1] Russia normally avoids doing conducting these exercises before a U.S. election. While they apparently conducted a strategic nuclear exercise in late October 2016, they did not announce it. In 2020, Russia delayed it until December.

According to Kiselyov, “It is important to note that our nuclear triad is the most modern and the most advanced on the planet.”[2] Moreover, he said, “One way or another, the Pentagon could not help but consider the capabilities of our nuclear triad and the readiness to use it in extremis.”[3]

Another program on Rossiya 1 said that “The current training exercise is the fourth of this level in two years.”[4] This apparently counts this year’s non-strategic nuclear exercise but not the large number of smaller Russian single service nuclear exercises. There was also an announced Strategic Missile Forces (ICBM force) exercise in October 2024 and others in July and March.[5]