The United States military view Russia as a threat to U.S. national security along with Iran, North Korea, ISIS and China.
An honest report released Wednesday by General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, reveals that most of the countries, which are led by the U.S. and its partners, support the current international institutions, avoid conflicts and develop human rights.
However, some countries, according to Pentagon, are trying to revise the key elements of world order and act in a way that threatens the U.S. national interests.
The first in the list of these countries-violators is Russia. Even though Russia contributes to such important matters as fighting terrorism and narcotics, it has “repeatedly demonstrated that it does not respect the sovereignty of its neighbors and it is willing to use force to achieve its goals,” the 2015 National Military Strategy says, accusing Moscow in undermining regional security.
“Russia’s military actions are undermining regional security directly and through proxy forces.”
The U.S. gave the second place to Iran, which is accused of sponsoring terrorists as well as carrying out a dangerous nuclear program. The third place goes to North Korea, which both develops nuclear weapons and is able to reach the U.S. with it.
Russia: The U.S. is trying to ‘steal’ our space technology ideas
It is also important to note that the U.S. considers China as a threat too. Although Beijing is not listed as a key antagonist of the U.S., it raises concerns over its actions in the contested South China Sea.
“Since the last national military strategy was published four years ago, global disorder has trended upward while some of our comparative advantages have begun to erode,” Dempsey told reporters.
“Future conflicts will come more rapidly, last longer, and take place on a much more technically challenging battlefield,” Dempsey wrote in the foreword to the report, which was interpreted in Russian media that the U.S. is not looking for a quick end of the confrontation between Moscow and Washington, at least not at the moment.
In response to the report, Russian media said that the U.S. “has repeatedly demonstrated its concerns over its rivals’ achievements in a wide variety of areas: from economic and science to military.”
To prove the point, Russian media reminds about the news that the U.S. military department started building the Joint Space Operations Center that would be located at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The move was explained by the need to monitor Russian and Chinese objects in space amid the growing threats from both Russia and Chinese space weapons.
However, it is a common opinion in Russia that the operations center will be “stealing” space technology ideas from Russia and China because of its “lack of competence” to compete with Moscow and Beijing in space.
Russia is able to destroy the U.S. with a nuclear strike six times
Russia is the only country in the world that is able to destroy the U.S. with a nuclear strike six times, according to the director of Russia’s major think tank of political sociology, Vyacheslav Smirnov.
“This is [the Wednesday report by General Martin Dempsey] a ‘road map’, which explains the vectors of development of offensive armament, which the U.S. spends its budget on, and which the U.S. military is focused on,” Smirnov told during the Sputnik radio broadcast, commenting on the report that says Russia is a threat to the U.S. national security.
“In this case that is a terrorist threat from ISIS as well as the so-called ‘revisionist states’. Generally speaking, it has always been like that, as the key doctrine of the U.S. is short: everything that is happening in the world without the participation of the U.S. most likely contradicts its interests and poses a threat to the U.S.,” Smirnov said.
In his opinion, the new U.S. military strategy will have certain consequences to the global politics.
“This is a further blowing out of a ‘cold war’. Because 10 years ago, even without Russia being mentioned in the document, everybody knew that the U.S. fears a then-friendly Russia. They fear any country that has nuclear weapons,” Smirnov said.
China is a long-term threat to the U.S.
“First of all, Russia poses a psychological threat to the U.S. as it is the only country in the world that is able to destroy the U.S. with a nuclear strike six times. Just like they can destroy us. And Russia will pose a threat to the U.S. as long as this kind of proportion is present,” Smirnov added.
According to him, the U.S. is unlikely to hold a constructive dialogue with Russia in the nearest future, however the common grounds remain the same.
“There are possible dialogues on a wide variety of subjects. For example, countering ISIS. This is a base for international terrorism, which poses a threat, including to Russia. In that regard, we can find some common ground with the Americans,” Smirnov said.
As for the relations between the U.S. and China, the expert is certain: the U.S. is highly concerned over the modernization of the Chinese army.
“China is a long-term threat to the U.S. Everybody knows that in 50 years China will be a serious and formidable threat not only in terms of economic, but, first of all, military might. And where might this military might lead after the modernization of the Chinese army is a question to the U.S.,” Smirnov concluded.
