Massive drills are set for September by both Russia and Nato which have raised the concern by Western Military commanders that a miscalculation could lead to a crisis, or World War 3.
Recently the US, Japan, and South Korea held annual drills which were met with tension from North Korea; however, during one of North Korea’s missile tests, it exploded on launch. That missile was aimed practically at Japan; a simple miscalculation could have led to war with North Korea and potentially China.
One simple miscalculation could end up causing a catastrophe. Or, one planned miscalculation could be the final straw. After the selection of Donald Trump, ties with Russia are not improving; they are stagnating. Also, a recent addition of Montenegro to the NATO alliance, approved by the US Senate, is guaranteed to raise those tensions even higher.
U.S. And NATO officers have raised concerns over Russia’s annual Zapad exercises, stating that it could create more tensions than they have in years, even recalling those that arose during the Cold War.
NATO and their Russian counterparts will hold a meeting Thursday of the NATO-Russia Council, the alliance announced Tuesday. Even though Zapad isn’t on the agenda, the discussion will go over Russia’s buildup in the region.
However, the US has also been building up its presence in the region as well. In January of this year, the US deployed special forces to the Baltic States because of the fear of Russian aggression. Not to mention the countless years prior where the US stationed military equipment in the region.
For the Russians the Zapad will be the chance they need to practice detecting, jamming and targeting Western forces with drones and advanced artillery. The Zapad exercise is of particular concern according to the Baltic states because it shows that the Russians are gearing up for war with the West.
Several officials are concerned because one soldier misreading a drill as an aggressive act could quickly escalate into a crisis if one side were to respond with force. An incident such as a crashed jet could also raise questions about whether an accident or aggression by the other side occurred.
The question is, could this be how the cabal will spark a world war? Tensions are through the roof, and disinformation is skyrocketing regarding US and Russian relations, all it could theoretically take for the two nations to collide is literally one misreading or one strategically placed ‘misreading.’
Historically, during the Ukraine crisis, a jet was brought down over Eastern Ukraine, MH17 was the jet, and the plane just so happened to look radically close to that of Vladimir Putin’s jet who also happened to be flying at that time, in the same area. While the West claimed Russian rebels brought down the jet evidence showed that it was a Ukrainian fighter who brought down the MH17.
This drill poses as an opportunity for things to rapidly spiral out of control; but, as always, this speculation is being brought on by Western Military Officials. Military drills happen all the time, and there is always a chance of a miscalculation. But, global tensions are rapidly rising, and the alliances are actively shifting. This year the probability for a crisis to strike is radically higher than in previous years, especially with other nations attempting to test the resolve of the new White House administration.
However, senior NATO officials and American officials say they have precautions in place;
“We will be alert, we will be very vigilant. But we don’t want it to turn into a face-off during their biggest exercise of the year,” said Gen. Ben Hodges, the top U.S. Army commander in Europe, said at a recent training event for the American unit joining the NATO force.
While U.S. forces are “designed not to provoke a conflict but to prevent a conflict,” an official with the U.S. European Command said Tuesday, Russia “continues to increase the intensity of its military activity while operating with an inadequate level of transparency.”
Alexander Grushko, Russia’s ambassador to NATO, declined to comment on the Zapad exercises. But he said the flexible format of Thursday’s meeting with the alliance would allow consideration of “issues related to regional security” and other military activities. Russian officials have expressed hope that the alliance and Moscow are moving to more regular meetings.
September is the traditional month for military exercises and Sweden, a close NATO partner, is planning its biggest military exercise in two decades at the same time.
The Swedish exercise will involve the U.S. and more than a half-dozen NATO allies. Some 19,000 troops will be involved in practicing for the territorial defense of Sweden, including Gotland Island, which U.S. officials consider critical for ensuring allied access to the Baltic States.
Swedish officials said they were aware of the Zapad exercises and would be using caution to ensure no errors occur.
The U.S. contribution to the NATO force is planning its own exercises, including an August drill with Polish and Lithuanian forces to simulate an operation to keep open the Suwalki Gap on the two countries’ border in the event of a Russian incursion.
In an effort to avert miscalculations, the top NATO commander, U.S. Army Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, will take peacetime control of strategic communications, exercises and force posture.
Are we potentially looking at a world war this September, caused by a simple miscalculation? Or, once again are the elite trying to stir the pot when it comes to Russian relations?
Works Cited
JULIAN E. BARNES. “Planned Russian Exercises in September Sow NATO Worries.” Wall Street Journal. . (2017): . .
Tom Batchelor. “US Special Forces deployed at Russian border to defend Baltic states ‘scared to death’ by Vladimir Putin.” The Independent. . (2017): . .
David Stephenson. “Russia, Ukraine or CIA? BBC documentary tries to expose the truth about MH17.” The Express. . (2016): . .