The US military, in the presence of Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, has reportedly conducted a “mini exercise” in which Washington launched a simulated nuclear strike against Russia.

Axar.az reports citing Press TV that speaking on condition of anonymity during a briefing on Friday, a senior Pentagon official said the exercise took place earlier this week at the US Strategic Command headquarters in Nebraska and that Esper had participated in the simulated showdown in Europe between Russia and NATO.

“We conducted a mini-exercise," the official told reporters. "The scenario included a European contingency where you are conducting a war with Russia and Russia decides to use a low-yield limited nuclear weapon against the site on NATO territory, and then you go through the conversation that you would have with the secretary of defense and then with the president ultimately to decide how to respond."

The US responded with what the senior official called a “limited response” to Moscow’s nuclear attack in Europe.