Britain will send 20,000 troops from across its armed forces to take part
in NATO wargames this spring – with the focus on repelling a Russian-led
invasion. Such a conflict, if it were to become a reality, would likely
end in a nuclear exchange, warns CND.

In a bellicose speech at Lancaster House on Monday, defence secretary
Grant Shapps said the West stood at a “crossroads” and that Britain “must
be prepared to deter our enemies, prepared to lead our allies and prepared
to defend our nation.” He added the government would be committed to
military spending of 2.5 percent of GDP and would urge other NATO members
to do so.

https://www.stopwar.org.uk/article/natos-escalating-wargames-threaten-a-nuclear-exchange-with-russia/

Shapps also confirmed an announcement made by the prime minister in
October, that 20,000 armed forces personnel from across the Royal Navy,
RAF, and British Army will take place in the upcoming NATO Steadfast
Defender Exercise, due to take place in February and March. He added that
the deployment is one of “NATO’s largest deployments since the end of the
Cold War.”

They’ll be joined by troops from the other 30 NATO members as well as
Sweden – whose application to join the bloc has been held up by Turkey.
According to the Financial Times, the drills will take place across
Germany, Poland and the Baltics and are “designed to model potential
manoeuvres against an enemy modelled on a coalition led by Russia, named
Occasus for the purposes of the drill.” Shapps said the drills – which
happen to coincide with the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of
Ukraine – would provide “vital reassurance against the Putin menace.”

The British contingent, according to the Ministry of Defence, will include
the deployment of “eight warships and submarines.” Britain’s submarine
fleet includes six nuclear-powered but conventionally-armed Astute-class
attack submarines as well as four nuclear-armed Vanguard-class submarines.
Shapps didn’t mention which submarines would join the exercise. However,
he would be unlikely to admit that nuclear-armed submarines would take
part under the policy of strategic ambiguity.

NATO’s annual nuclear drills – Steadfast Noon – took place last October
across southern Europe. During its annual summit in Vilnius last year,
NATO members agreed to increase the number of annual drills it conducted
from one to two, as well as conduct training against terrorist threats
outside its borders.

CND General Secretary Kate Hudson said:

“NATO military planners are keen to wargame a conflict with Russia and
this will no doubt involve planning for the potential use of nuclear
weapons. The US deployment of F-35 warplanes and new B61-12 guided nuclear
bombs to Europe is in full swing and NATO’s nuclear doctrine allows for
first-strike attacks. With an escalating war in the Middle East, and the
continuing war in Ukraine, now is not the time for bellicose talk, and
provocative exercises. Our government needs to take steps to bring about
ceasefires in both Gaza and Ukraine, rather than escalating tension and
preparing for more wars. Either of these wars could go nuclear and they
have to be brought to a peaceful and just conclusion before the worst
happens.”

### - having another little 'dry-run' then are they?

not forgetting that russia was conducting very similar war games, right on
ukraine's border, when they suddenly turned and invaded them??

i mean, russia currently appears to be sitting-pretty behind its now
well-entrenched defenses after the stalemate resulting from ukraine's
failed counter-offensive, they're not overtly threatening any other
nation, nor showing any signs of expanding their war on ukraine to include
anyone else, only that's not quite how it's being played out in the
media...

so why then all this huffing & puffing from the west about preparing for a
possible confrontation with russia unless they themselves are actually
planning something along those very lines??

the simple truth being, that russia now has the west by the proverbial
balls in that it's increasingly costing the west a shed-load to support
ukraine, and nada's coming of it!?

a situation that russia can 'afford' to continue with until the cows come
home, but the west can't??

that increasing, the only way the west can now possibly resolve all this
in some way favourable to themselves, is by actually attacking russia
directly!

and it looks like they's gonna do it too!

i.e., they actually have no other choice/option now besides either
giving-in to russia's demands (which aren't entirely unreasonable) or in
going for it big time to wipe russia off the face of the earth!

plus these war games aren't exactly suggestive of the west giving-in are
they, no way...

and because what else can the west possibly do otherwise except concede
defeat?? (and imho we're far too proud to ever do summat like that!)

it also looks like they's all preparing for a big punch-up in the middle
east quite soon too and russia backs both iran & syria amongst others out
there, and as such could thus be drawn-into it at some point if/when the
west goes ape on certain parts of the middle east... meanwhile, china
ain't sayin' nuthin' are they; they's just quietly watching & waiting,
knowing their 'own' time will surely come over taiwan at some point...
maybe soon!

iow: it looks like thang could well be right when he stated: "war war war"
is coming this year!

if only because: "out of the mouth of babes and sucklings" and all that
heh ;)

and because, for once, he may well have gotten it right!