The Most Dangerous Time

A long time has passed since the Cold War, and a lot has changed in the world. Now, Russia and the West, in particular, the United States, find themselves at odds with one another in a situation that seems to be escalating. In these circumstances, as a lay observer, I would ask the following questions to a knowledgeable person:

1. Because it's been such a long time since the Cold War, is the United States 'out of practice', as it were, in preventing an accidental nuclear exchange between itself and Russia?

2. Because it's been such a long time since the Cold War, is Russia 'out of practice', as it were, in preventing an accidental nuclear exchange between itself and the United States?

3. Both the United States and Russia seem to have experienced at least relative decline in the past 25 years. Is it possible that such decline has created gaps, weak points, or other shortcomings--for example, in the form of less diligent or less capable personnel, or less effective systems--devoted to preventing an accidental nuclear exchange between the United States and Russia? 

4. Have the weapons or equipment, or any devices and installations associated with the weapons degraded over time in such a way that an accidental nuclear exchange between the United States and Russia has become more likely? 

5. If the answer to any of the above is 'yes', are we living in the most dangerous time since the Cold War?