The United States is preparing for a potential war with Russia by revising its contingency plans for the first time since the end of the Cold War, according to U.S. officials. Image Source: Wikimedia Commons The Pentagon is going through re-evaluation of its Cold War era-old military plans amid deteriorating relations between Russia and the U.S. after Moscow has taken sudden interest in Syria earlier this month. The U.S. Defense Department feels the need to update the plans to respond to any potential aggression against any NATO allies given “the actions of Russia,” according to one senior Pentagon official familiar with the updated plans. Moreover, Russian President Vladimir Putin is “no longer a potential partner, but a potential threat,” another Pentagon official told the Foreign Policy magazine, warning of “potential (Russian) aggression against” the U.S. and its NATO allies. The reason for such major changes in Pentagon’s war plans against Russia lies in the fact that the U.S. found its current plans “pretty out of date” following Russia’s invasion of eastern Ukraine, as explained by Michèle Flournoy, a former undersecretary of defense for policy and co-founder of the Center for a New American Security. Therefore, Washington is going to make a shift away from its post-Cold War military policy and focus on Russia’s current threats and aggression. The policy shift comes just weeks after Russia has suddenly got itself involved in Syrian Civil War by sending its artillery and seven T-90 tanks to an airfield in the Syrian province of Latakia. Moreover, there have been reports of at least four Russian jets spotted at a Syrian airfield, including military ones. Pentagon updates nuclear war plans against Russia The Pentagon is also revising its hybrid warfare strategies and tactics, including nuclear strikes. “As you look at published Russian doctrine, I do believe people are thinking about use of tactical nuclear weapons in a way that hadn’t been thought about for many years,” said a senior official who spoke with the Foreign Policy... More