There are three weapons systems in the Putin arsenal that he has not used yet to any extent: cyber attacks, chemical weapons and nuclear weapons. I believe all three are still on the table. I’ve been surprised that Russia has not unleashed cyber attacks on American infrastructure. It may be that we have considerable offensive cyber capabilities ourselves and he is concerned about mutually assured disruption. He has used chemical weapons before in Syria. When the war starts to go badly, even worse than it has to date for the Russian invaders, watch for him to use these weapons again. Putin does not want to lose face by being stalled and limited to only conventional weapons. Finally, there is the nuclear option, starting with tactical nukes fired by rockets, missiles or even artillery. If he gets desperate, he could use them on the battlefield to try to achieve victory.
Why Track What Is Happening in Ukraine?
War can come home to the United States.
I’ve been following the war in Ukraine somewhat closely, more from my past military experience and then for the military geo-political ramifications. I’m particularly interested in the weapons systems that are being sent to Ukraine. A new one to me, but really old, is the S-300 missile system. It is evidently a holdover from the Soviet Union, but has been upgraded and is still in use by some former Soviet nations who now belong to NATO.
There are three weapons systems in the Putin arsenal that he has not used yet to any extent: cyber attacks, chemical weapons and nuclear weapons. I believe all three are still on the table. I’ve been surprised that Russia has not unleashed cyber attacks on American infrastructure. It may be that we have considerable offensive cyber capabilities ourselves and he is concerned about mutually assured disruption. He has used chemical weapons before in Syria. When the war starts to go badly, even worse than it has to date for the Russian invaders, watch for him to use these weapons again. Putin does not want to lose face by being stalled and limited to only conventional weapons. Finally, there is the nuclear option, starting with tactical nukes fired by rockets, missiles or even artillery. If he gets desperate, he could use them on the battlefield to try to achieve victory.
Then, what will the rest of the world, Europe and the United States do? This is when wars become unpredictable. As emergency managers we need to become prepared for every eventuality. Cyber attacks are the most likely risk we face, but all out nuclear war with a dictator like President Vladimir Putin is not something you can say will never happen.
There are three weapons systems in the Putin arsenal that he has not used yet to any extent: cyber attacks, chemical weapons and nuclear weapons. I believe all three are still on the table. I’ve been surprised that Russia has not unleashed cyber attacks on American infrastructure. It may be that we have considerable offensive cyber capabilities ourselves and he is concerned about mutually assured disruption. He has used chemical weapons before in Syria. When the war starts to go badly, even worse than it has to date for the Russian invaders, watch for him to use these weapons again. Putin does not want to lose face by being stalled and limited to only conventional weapons. Finally, there is the nuclear option, starting with tactical nukes fired by rockets, missiles or even artillery. If he gets desperate, he could use them on the battlefield to try to achieve victory.
