IS THE COLD WAR BACK ?
DURING THE HEIGHT OF TENSIONS WITH IRAN LAST year, the United States conducted an unprecedented series of war games. Over five months, from May until the end of September, 93 separate military exercises were held, with forces operating continuously in, above and around 29 countries.
The games, which practiced everything from ground platoon tactics to cyber warfare, weren’t held in the Mideast and weren’t directed at Tehran. They were directed against Moscow—and constituted the most intense, uninterrupted set of drills since the end of the Cold War.
The activity was the culmination of a buildup that began after Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014. Though American armed forces were fighting several “hot wars” and engaged in crisis deployments in response to both Iran and North Korea, the shift to practicing “high end” warfare tasks dominated. The focus was also undeniably anti-Russia, with the number of European games 10 times the number of China-related drills held at the same time.
“In the shadow of the deteriorating European security environment, the size and scope of NATO and
