“Vigilant Shield”, the biggest ever annual war exercise, will take place from 4 to 14 December. These hugely expensive military exercises will take place on a world-wide scale, involving all US commands: Central, Strategic, North, South and Pacific. For ten days thousands of US military forces stationed throughout the world will simulate naval, air and missile operations and manoeuvres, enacting a scenario that will play out the day-by-day developments of a nuclear conflict between the United States on the one side and Russia and North Korea (with China in the background) on the other. The conflict will have apparently been brought about by the worsening nuclear crisis in Iran and North Korea.
The enemy countries have not been explicitly mentioned, but they are referred to by the easily identified codenames of Irmingham (Iran), Nemazee (North Korea), Ruebek (Russia) and Churya (China).
In commenting on the details of the exercises, the Washington Post defined it as “A particularly stupid idea, an enormous waste of public money and an insult to the whole country”.

An alarming scenario. Everything begins with a deepening crisis provoked by the enriched uranium programme of the Middle-East country of Irmingham. The Eurasian country of Ruebek then tries to mediate in the crisis between the USA and Irmingham, but in reality it is secretly supporting the latter’s nuclear programme.
At the same time, the Asian country of Nemazze, with the support of powerful Churya, continues to develop its nuclear arsenal with tests that the Pentagon is no longer able to distinguish from real preparations for launching nuclear-armed missiles.
In this climate, while international diplomacy is at work, Ruebek, fearing a US preventive military attack against Irmingham, sends its fleet of submarines to the Pacific in the hope of discouraging such an action. The tension between the USA and Ruebek reaches breaking point, with the two countries closing their respective embassies and recalling  diplomatic staff. NATO tries to mediate but Ruebek begins making preparations for war, with the support of Churya.

Five days of nuclear war. In a speech to the nation the US president warns the country about the possible outcome of the crisis and announces the adoption of a Government Continuity Plan (involving its transfer to nuclear bunkers in Cheyenne Mountain and Raven Rock), with the excuse of the threat of terrorist attacks on the Pentagon.
10 December is zero hour.
Ruebek launches an air attack against US anti-missile defences, followed by the launch of four inter-continental missiles with nuclear warheads that hit the underground bunkers of the government, although they don’t destroy them. Nemazee also launches two nuclear missiles against the USA, although no American cities are hit, and then the “terrorists” (with suspicious timing) explode a “dirty” nuclear bomb in the Pentagon, killing six thousand people. All of this, however, doesn’t knock out America’s defensive capacity and it manages to counter-attack by launching two nuclear missiles against Ruebek, wiping out its offensive capacity. As a result of this the war comes to an end on 14 December. What the scenario doesn’t tell us is how many people lose their lives.