Editing World War III (section)

===Exercise Reforger===
{{Main|Exercise Reforger}}
[[File:USS Hawes (FFG-53), USS William H. Standley (CG-32) and USS Guadalcanal (LPH-7) escort tanker Gas King in the Persian Gullf on 21 October 1987 (6432283).jpg|thumb|If activated, Operation Reforger would have largely consisted of convoys like this one from [[Operation Earnest Will]] in 1987, although much larger. While troops could easily fly across the Atlantic, the heavy equipment and armor reinforcements would have to come by sea.]]

Exercise Reforger (from the '''RE'''turn of '''FOR'''ces to '''GER'''many) was an annual exercise conducted during the Cold War by [[NATO]]. While US troops could be easily flown across the Atlantic, the heavy equipment and armor reinforcements would have to come by sea and be delivered to POMCUS (Pre-positioned Overseas Material Configured to Unit Sets) sites.<ref name="Blackwill-1989">{{Cite journal |last1=Blackwill |first1=Robert D. |last2=Legro |first2=Jeffrey W. |author-link=Jeffrey W. Legro|date=1989 |title=Constraining Ground Force Exercises of NATO and the Warsaw Pact |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2538932 |journal=International Security |volume=14 |issue=3 |pages=68–98 |doi=10.2307/2538932 |jstor=2538932 |s2cid=154186558 |issn=0162-2889 |access-date=1 May 2022 |archive-date=1 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501031549/https://www.jstor.org/stable/2538932 |url-status=live }}</ref> These exercises tested the United States and allied abilities to carry out transcontinental reinforcement.<ref name="Blackwill-1989"/> Timely reinforcement was a critical part of the NATO reinforcement exercises. The United States needed to be able to send active-duty army divisions to Europe within ten days as part of a wartime NATO general deployment.<ref name="Blackwill-1989"/> In addition to assessing the capabilities of the United States, Reforger also monitored the personnel, facilities, and equipment of the European countries playing a significant role in the reinforcement effort.<ref name="Blackwill-1989"/> The exercise was intended to ensure that NATO could quickly deploy forces to West Germany in the event of a conflict with the [[Warsaw Pact]]. The Warsaw Pact outnumbered NATO throughout the Cold War in conventional forces, and especially in tanks and armoured vehicles. Therefore, in the event of a Soviet invasion, in order not to resort to [[Tactical nuclear weapon|tactical nuclear strikes]], NATO forces defending against a [[Warsaw Pact]] [[Armoured spearhead|armored spearhead]] would have to be quickly resupplied and replaced.

Reforger was not merely a show of force. In the event of a conflict, it would be the actual plan to strengthen the NATO presence in Europe.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}} In that instance, it would have been referred to as Operation Reforger. The political goals of Reforger were to promote extended deterrence and foster NATO cohesion.<ref name="Blackwill-1989"/> Important components in Reforger included the [[Military Airlift Command]], the [[Military Sealift Command]], and the [[Civil Reserve Air Fleet]].