US Strategic Command kicked off Global Thunder on Monday—an annual exercise intended to train its forces and assess joint operational readiness across all assigned mission areas. Headquarters staff, components, and task forces will participate in the command post and field training exercise, which will focus on cyber, space, missile defense, and nuclear readiness, according to a release. “Testing our forces through a range of challenging scenarios validates the safety, security, effectiveness and readiness of the strategic deterrent we provide the nation,” said STRATCOM chief Adm. Cecil Haney, according to the release. He said the scenarios presented during the exercise will help create the solutions needed to maintain deterrence in the future. (See also: Drilling to Avert Doomsday.)
The Pentagon released its new National Defense Strategy late Jan. 23, emphasizing a new commitment to the Western Hemisphere. But while that focus garnered most of the headlines, the strategy’s subtle shifts on China raise questions about how the Trump administration aims to leverage U.S. military power in the Indo-Pacific.
