Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
Able Archer 83, 1983 (Double Delegate)
To Soviet military intelligence,
“… the 1983 exercise was functionally indistinguishable from actual pre-strike preparation.”
Exercise Able Archer was NATO’s annual nuclear command exercise that practiced command and control procedures amongst Allied NATO forces in Europe, often simulating a coordinated Western response to a Soviet first-strike. The 1983 exercise, codenamed Able Archer 83, was more realistic than any previous iteration, involving new communication protocols, radio silences, participation from heads of state, and ran through a complete escalation sequence from conventional conflict to nuclear release. Crucially, the increase in realism also involved the transfer of Pershing II nuclear missiles to Europe to be involved in Able Archer 83, leading the Soviet Politburo to believe that Able Archer 83 was a ruse and a disguise for a genuine nuclear war. To Soviet military intelligence, the 1983 exercise was functionally indistinguishable from actual pre-strike preparation.
This exponential increase in realism from NATO forces led the USSR to activate its nuclear forces and place air units in East Germany and Poland on high alert. Outside of the Cuban Missile Crisis, this was the closest the world got to nuclear war.
Importantly, we are simulating the Soviet side, not the American side. Furthermore, General Secretary Andropov is gravely ill, barely able to function, and largely absent from key meetings. The Soviet Politburo is fractured between hardliners who take intelligence reports at face value and genuinely believe an American strike is coming, moderates who believe the KGB has built a threat-detection architecture that generates false positives by design, and pragmatists watching the succession question as closely as the military one.
Welcome to Western Europe
General Secretary Andropov is gravely ill, barely able to function, and largely absent from key meetings.
What will you do?
Meet the Team
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Noah Warner
CHAIR
Noah Warner is a member of the class of 2028 in the College of Arts and Sciences at Georgetown University, where he is pursuing a major in Political Economy. Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, Noah is a Chiefs fanatic and loves KC BBQ. Noah’s Model UN experience began in his Freshman year of high school, and he has now participated in Model UN for going on 7 years! His first staffing experience came as the Director of KMT: Taiwan at NCSC LII, and then Crisis Manager of the Fante Confederacy during NCSC LIII. He also served as USG Contemporary Crisis of NAIMUN LXIII, and will soon serve as Secretary-General of NAIMUN LXIV. Noah also competes on the Georgetown Model United Nations team (GUMUN) as a member of the Conferences Staff. Outside of Model UN, he loves to run, bike, and swim, and coincidentally also participates in the Georgetown Club Triathlon Team. You can regularly find him running along the Tidal Basin and past the U.S. Capitol, or biking up to Mount Vernon. Additionally, he is a member of the Georgetown chapter of the Kappa Alpha Pi Pre-Law Fraternity, where he participates in professional development, intending to pursue a career in law.
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Sarah Chao
CRISIS MANAGER
Sarah Chao is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences at Georgetown University, majoring in Government and minoring in Tech, Ethics, & Society. She is from Los Angeles, California and is a big advocate for the LA food scene. At Georgetown, she competed with the Georgetown Model UN travel team and has also served as a Crisis Manager at NCSC LIII (shoutout ECHELON: Imposter Among Us!!) and NCSC LII, and also staffed multiple NAIMUNs, Georgetown’s high school conference. Sarah spends most of her time working in the tech policy space but occasionally escapes her GCAL to try out new restaurants and cafes and rate them on Beli. Her current top recommendations include Yellow, Pho 75, Padaek, and gumbo at Union Market.
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ASSOCIATED STAFF
OTHER MEMBERS
Director: Carolyn Stach
CAs/RAPs: Bennett Gilhuly, Juho Bay
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Chris Rocco
UNDER SECRETARY-GENERAL
Chris Rocco is a student in Georgetown’s School of Health Class of 2029, where he is studying Human Science. More than anything, Chris is incredibly grateful to be your USG of Non-Trads and cannot wait to see you all in his committees. See you in the fall!
