Able Archer

An interesting topic that came up this week was Able Archer 83.  This was a codename for a command post exercise carried out in November of 1983 by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. As the Americans tested new ways to communicate over code, radio silences, and the participation of heads of government, this brought an increase of realism. As the United States and the Soviet Union were fighting through deterrence, the Soviets believed that Able Archer 83 was a ruse of war. This was the thought of the Americans striking the first nuclear attack. The Soviets then readied their nuclear forces while keeping alert in the air units in East Germany and Poland. I feel that this is interesting for how a little code command could lead to a huge fear over a country. As the tensions increased between the US and Soviets, any word can cause a problem with nuclear attacks.