We exercised continually in SAC and Europe (NATO) with nuclear weapons, for good reason (I won't go into release procedures, which certainly does not involve "pushing a red button"). The Soviets were ready to use nuclear weapons on major European cities at the start of a conflict, as shown in declassified CIA files of offensive Soviet and Warsaw Pact battle plans. With systems like Pershing, which could hit Soviet targets in six minutes, it gives a potential aggressor something to think about.
As for operations like REFORGER, the USSR even had SLBM's allocated to destroy convoys.
Given our intel, which was very good, we had a pretty good notice of impending Soviet/Warsaw Pact exercises- the stories about Able Archer '83 are complete nonsense; during SAC Global Shield exercises we generated thousands of weapons (which was announced previously in the media). The Soviets had agents in place, and noted our movements and alert notifications (US and overseas). They also exercised in the Warsaw Treaty Organization with tactical nuclear weapons in the DDR, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Bulgaria.
That being said, our main threat was from special operations forces like Spetsnaz or DDR Fallschirmjager, who would begin operations just prior to the outbreak of war.
Yours, Mike
USAFE veteran, 1988-1992.
|