Prevention is better than cure. A sort of American task force is trying to best apply the famous adage in the context of the Russian aggression in Ukraine which began on February 24, 2022. Several American media are indeed reporting the creation of a “Tiger team” (” tiger team”) by Washington whose role is to consider different more or less probable scenarios and to develop appropriate responses, and even simulation exercises to be closer to the situation and to be ready.
They are currently working on the possibility of the use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons by Moscow, reports the New York Times. A threat that seems increasingly real in the context of the Ukrainian conflict, while kyiv accuses Russia of having used phosphorus bombs, the use of which is prohibited against civilians but not against military targets.
The current team was established in a memo signed by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on February 28, four days after the invasion began. The threat is therefore taken very seriously by the White House.
Because if a month ago, such scenarios seemed theoretical, today, from the White House to NATO headquarters in Brussels, “we recognize that Russia could turn to the most powerful weapons of its arsenal to get out of a military stalemate”, analyzes the American daily. The Westerners consider indeed “very credible” an attack or a chemical or nuclear incident caused by the Russian bombardments in Ukraine and multiplied, Thursday, March 24, the warnings addressed to the Kremlin. “The risk of large-scale use of chemical weapons by Russia on the territory of Ukraine is very real,” warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
A team created in November 2021
According to washington postthe team formed by Joe Biden brings together several American agencies: the departments of Defense, State, Energy, Treasury and Homeland Security, as well as the American Agency for International Development.
The “Tiger team” was created in November 2021 after officials from the National Security Council detected, in October 2021, disturbing signs of a massive reinforcement of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border, explains the American daily. They were then tasked with bringing the scenarios to life and developing a manual outlining a series of potential rapid responses.
The aim is to consider scenarios close enough to what can happen in reality so that “the plans are useful in terms of reducing the time we need to react effectively”, explains the washington post Jonathan Finer, deputy national security adviser to Joe Biden. “It’s about making sure we’re ready to step in if and when we have to.”
“You don’t need to know what they’re going to do, explains to the washington post an official from the National Security Council. You choose a series of plausible scenarios and plan around them, assuming that any of them could happen.”
Prepare for all eventualities
The “Tiger team” thus makes it possible to be prepared for all eventualities concerning this conflict, avoiding reproducing the mismanagement of the Afghan file, when, at the time, the rapid collapse of the government in Kabul had taken officials by surprise. Americans. The bad memory of the Crimean War in 2014 is also in everyone’s mind: here again, the allies had not planned an arsenal of sanctions in advance and reacted with delay and disorganization, the daily recalls. No question, this time, of repeating history.
This shock team, which meets three times a week, also examines the responses to be made in the event that Moscow decides to attack NATO territory or another country in Eastern Europe – such as Moldova. or Georgia. The preparation of European countries for the influx of refugees is also discussed during these confidential meetings.