On February 28, deputy director of the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Matthew Kroenig was quoted in an article in the Irish Times titled “West takes seriously Putin’s nuclear weapon threat.” Kroenig asserts that Putin’s heighten nuclear alert is textbook Russian strategy and likely a bluff.
This [Putin’s nuclear alert] really is Russia’s military strategy to backstop conventional aggression with nuclear threats, or what is known as the ‘escalate to de-escalate strategy’.
Matthew Kroenig
Forward Defense, housed within the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, generates ideas and connects stakeholders in the defense ecosystem to promote an enduring military advantage for the United States, its allies, and partners. Our work identifies the defense strategies, capabilities, and resources the United States needs to deter and, if necessary, prevail in future conflict.