An Actual War Game

NATO remembers large-scale combat operations

The United States participated in an exercise to test the ability to maneuver multiple NATO corps to repel Russian aggression.

Large-scale conventional warfare is back on the table in NATO:

With maps and graphics flashing on movie theater-sized screens, top U.S. Army commanders monitored in real time a scenario of all-out ground war with Russia as new NATO defense plans were put into operation for the first time.

U.S. Army Europe and Africa was at the center of the action for Avenger Triad 24, a two-week drill that wrapped up Thursday. It involved 10 other countries and multiple alliance regional corps that oversee alliance front-line troops. 

It's going to take a while for Russia to reconstitute their ground forces to take on NATO in large-scale combat. Expansion to fight Ukraine is largely a Potemkin Army scam as far as I'm concerned. And restoring the Leningrad and Moscow military districts to focus on large-scale combat will need a military to handle that.

Still, NATO strength declined so much in maneuver units (Britain is a good example, to avoid dumping on Germany too much—although Germany has seemingly been hit with the clue bat since Russia invaded Ukraine), logistics capabilities, and even planning for actual war in Europe—NATO expansion was a Potemkin Threat to Russia, really—that NATO needs all the time Russia's invasion of Ukraine has provided it:

The delta between how quickly Russia can rebuild its military and how quickly NATO can rearm, especially the European allies, will define the risk level for the Alliance should deterrence fail. 

One way to rebuild military power could be to gather the atomized bits of small NATO members into much more powerful brigades under American command. I outlined these Cadre Brigade Combat Teams, as I call them, in Army magazine this summer.

Another is getting that American corps in NATO I've long wanted (starting on page 15). The elements of a V Corps headquarters is a start, at least.

Wasting time is a sin for any military. But if Ukraine wins, NATO may never have to face a large Russian invasion of NATO territory.

Sigh. When I enlisted, my National Guard unit was earmarked for VII Corps in Europe, if memory serves me. I had hoped Russia would take the opportunity of escaping the clutches of the evil USSR to join the West after we won the Cold War. Alas, Russia’s paranoid stupidity led them on a different path. With some reason, I suppose. But they forgot they were pretending. Enough is enough, already!

And here we are.