I doubt STRATCOM will increase its level of alertness even after Putin orders the use of battlefield nuclear weapons in Ukraine. The harsh reality is that the USA sees the Ukraine war as a great way to degrade Russian military capability but at the end of the day, Ukraine is expendable. No US president is going to tell voters they risk nuclear conflict merely in order to help a country few could locate on a map and fewer still care about. Putin knows we are spineless, flabby, and self-obsessed. His rabble-in-uniform may be a joke but his assessment of us remains accurate. Note, if you will, the many protests erupting across Europe, all of which are in favor of ending sanctions in the hope of getting back some Russian oil and gas - and if hundreds of thousands more Ukrianians have to die to keep fat complacent self-obsessed Westerners warm this winter, then so be it.