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Able Archer 83: The NATO Exercise and the Soviet War Scare
November 1983. In NATO command centers, Able Archer 83 moved through an escalating nuclear-release scenario: revised message formats, consultations between allied governments, command-post transfers, and simulated alerts. In the United States warning system, no corresponding alarm captured the full meaning of unusual Soviet activity.
The exercise took place during Autumn Forge 83, a wider series of NATO maneuvers that included a radio-silent airlift of 19,000 American personnel to Europe. Soviet leaders and intelligence services were already concerned about a possible Western first strike…
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