

Various changes, including encrypted communication exchanges and periods of total radio silence that effectively cut out any third party connection, amplified concerns.

Then on September 1, 1983, the Soviet Union shot down a Korean 747 commercial airline after mistaking it for an American spy plane, killing all 269 passengers.Īs the massive NATO military exercise progressed in the fall of 1983, the Soviets grew increasingly convinced the exercise was a cover for a NATO pre-emptive nuclear strike. President Ronald Reagan publicly labelled the Soviet Union an ‘evil empire’ just a week before he announced the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) – an anti-ballistic missile program to counter-attack missiles in space. In 1981, the Soviets launched ‘Operation Ryan’ which primarily revolved around gaining intelligence on potential U.S plans to launch a nuclear first strike against them. In the lead-up to Able Archer 83, previous events contributed to the unstable climate and increased tensions between the United States and Soviet Union. intentions in Europe made it hard for the Soviets to imagine the exercise was simply a military simulation. Such a large presence of forces near the Soviet Union’s doorstep at a time of increasing Soviet paranoia of U.S. The drill took place under the auspices of Autumn Forge – a set of annual NATO military exercises spread across Europe comprised of 100,000 NATO troops and designed to test combat readiness. In a new era of increasing tensions between nuclear-armed powers around the world, leaders must remember the lessons from what nearly sparked nuclear catastrophe in November 1983 and work together to reduce the unacceptably high risk of nuclear use.īeginning on November 2, 1983, Able Archer 83 was a NATO-related testing drill on command and control systems for both conventional weapons and weapons of mass destruction. Maybe you’re familiar with the DEFCON military alertness rating used by the United States Military.During the Cold War, amid heightened tensions between member-states of the Warsaw Pact and the NATO alliance, a military exercise named ‘Able Archer 83’ almost provoked the world’s superpowers into nuclear warfare. There are 5 DEFCON levels, from normal peacetime readiness at Level 5 to maximum readiness with nuclear war imminent at Level 1. At Fort Fitness, we’re military guys, so we thought there was no better way to package the most intense, gut-busting, extreme anaerobic exercise training experience on the fitness market than to borrow the DEFCON rating. Introducing DEFCON, our state-of-the-art Extreme HITT-focused fitness room. What is DEFCON?ĭEFCON offers the most intense version of HITT training. Workouts are focused on high target heart rate workouts with low recovery time, for maximum weight loss, bodyweight training, core strength building, anaerobic activities. Just like the US Military’s DEFCON levels, there are five levels of intensity to progress through. Each of the phases is indicated by changes in lights, sound, and intensity of the workout. You’ll be faced with unique challenges at every DEFCON level that you must conquer before advancing to the next level. Each succeeding level is more intense and more gut-wrenching than the last. We’ve designed the levels to challenge your physical and emotional stress thresholds progressively.Įach phase has unique requirements to be completed before moving on to the next level.
#Highest defcon level full#
In just 30 minutes, you’ll get the equivalent of a full day’s training. But be warned – this type of training isn’t for the faint of heart.

This class will take you to peaks that you never thought you’d be able to go, both physically and mentally.
