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Nov. 1 (UPI) -- Global Thunder, the U.S. Strategic Command's annual training focused on joint operations and nuclear readiness, on Monday started its exercises to test and improve its combat capabilities. This year's exercises are designed around realistic training activities against simulated adversaries with the goal of evaluating areas to further improve nuclear readiness and strategic deterrent capabilities, a Monday announcement from STRATCOM said.
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STRATCOM commander Adm. Charles Richard earlier this month warned about threats America is facing in a speech delivered to a U.S. Strategic Command deterrence symposium.
"Conditions are changing rapidly," said Richard, who serves as senior commander of unified military forces from all four branches assigned to the command.
"China is in the midst of a strategic breakout. I want to reiterate that we now face competitors -- Russia and China -- who have a unilateral ability to escalate to any level of violence, using any instrument of national power in any domain, globally, at any point in time that they choose to, and we have never faced two competitors with that capability at the same time ever in our history."
And, one year ago, at the conclusion of last year's week-long exercises, he said the country is "back in the midst of great power competition. In that competition, it is imperative we test our readiness to confront uncertainty and credibly convey the readiness and lethality of our forces."
"Our ability to engage with allies and partners to conduct operations demonstrates our shared commitment to global security and stability," Richard said last October.
Monday's announcement said that the GT22 exercises "will employ global operations in coordination with other combatant commands, services, and appropriate U.S. government agencies to deter, detect and, if necessary, defeat strategic attacks against the United States and its allies. "
STRATCOM is based at Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, Neb.
