The Russian invasion of Ukraine has pushed the US to plan ahead in secret and prepare if things turn out to be going south.
The White House is worried that a frustrated Russian President Vladimir Putin might use all means of destruction to continue to wage war.
“The Tiger Team” is a group of national security officials whose aim is to make contingency plans just in case Putin decides to use nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons in Ukraine, the New York Times reports. The group is also forming playbooks for what to do in case Russia enters a NATO country.
The team was formed on February 28. The plans will play a key role in a NATO session occurring on Thursday in Brussels where President Joe Biden has traveled to meet with leaders from 29 other countries to decide on a strategy in response to the war.
Jens Stoltenberg, secretary-general of NATO, told reporters on Wednesday that “allies will agree to provide additional support, including cybersecurity assistance and equipment to help Ukraine protect against chemical, biological, radiologic and nuclear threats.”
The major decision to be taken by the Tiger Team is what actions by Russia would trigger a NATO response. While Biden has signaled, he wants to avoid direct confrontation as much as possible, Stoltenberg suggested that weapons escalation such as the use of nukes could have “dire consequences” for surrounding NATO territories.
Officials believe that the threat of a nuclear weapon attack from Russia is not a serious one. However, each day the war wages with little progress from Moscow is another day Putin might get more and more frustrated. Eventually, that might lead to disastrous consequences for Ukraine and the world at large.