A scary question to ask, one that has taken on more relevance as Russia and the United States conflict over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

First, let’s settle on the definition. When talking about World War III, most people envision a nuclear exchange between world powers. So that is the definition we are going to use here.

Judging by the articles you see being written by media outlets, it would not be unreasonable for someone to worry that nuclear war is coming.

“Putin to launch missiles into Poland! World War III is imminent! The United States is at DEFCON 2!”

What would you think if you read that in your news feed?

Alarming, isn’t it? However, it isn’t true and is an example of editors using alarming headlines to get your attention or to click on a link.

Here are the facts:

Nobody knows what the U.S. military DEFCON level is. That is classified. However, there are public signs that can give the public a clue as to what the military status is: Bases closed to the public, forces being quickly reorganized and moved, politicians suddenly unavailable or in rapidly assembled meetings. These are things an enemy will look for and what the public can easily see as well. The United States is definitely not DEFCON 2 by observing activity at the Pentagon, military bases, and especially Air Force bases where our strategic bombers are deployed. If the U.S .were truly at DEFCON 2, those planes would not be sitting on the ground right now.

With all the latest news coming out of the Ukraine theater, What do we actually know for sure?

North Korean forces have been deployed to Ukraine and Russia is allying with another group to bring in even more personnel.

Outgoing U.S. Pres. Biden finally gave Ukraine permission to go ahead and use the ATACMS on Russian soil, and Ukraine wasted no time in doing so.

Russia immediately threatened a response, including a threat that any country providing these weapons to Ukraine would be open to attack. Russia then wasted no time in launching an experimental IRBM (intermediate range ballistic missile) against Ukraine as the apparent immediate response.

So where does this leave us?

In regards to Russia’s threats against western NATO countries, this is nothing new. Russia has made these type of threats in one form or another throughout this conflict. As to the new type of weapon used by Russia, first of all it was not an ICBM as first reported, which led to a lot of the latest WWIII hysteria.

Is it “new”? Is it invincible? It’s experimental, and the first time used in a war situation. Nothing is invincible, but it will be harder to stop.

The rhetoric, as well as the ensuing actions have certainly picked up, and are, at the very least, becoming more concerning. But keep in mind, this has happened numerous times during this conflict.

Frighteningly, war game models have mapped out this type of conflict and the models have shown the situation ending up in a nuclear exchange. We don’t bring this up to cause panic. We mention this because this is what the models are showing. Are they accurate? Who knows? Human reaction, like the weather, is unpredictable, and models are constantly wrong.

The bottom line is not to take headlines too seriously. They are designed to attract attention and get you to read the article or click the link. The truth is usually (but not always) buried in the article. After all, no one would click on a headline that says “Everything Is Just Peachy”.

The truth of the situation in Ukraine is that the situation is escalating and the public should remain aware of the changing situation. But also remember that the spreading of panicky unconfirmed inflammatory reports benefits no one.

At all times, the public is urged to learn what steps to take in the event of a nuclear attack.

The situation in Ukraine is nowhere near there yet. But it is heading in the wrong direction.