The Trump administration warned us right before leaving office that China was the greatest threat to America and now it appears the military is backing this sentiment in a big way. STRATCOM Commander Admiral Charles Richard claims that a nuclear conflict is a very real possibility with Russia and China.
“At the U.S. Strategic Command, we assess the probability of nuclear use is low, but not “impossible,” particularly in a crisis and as our nuclear-armed adversaries continue to build capability and exert themselves globally. Further, assessing risk is more than just assessing likelihood; it also involves accounting for outcomes. We cannot dismiss or ignore events that currently appear unlikely but, should they occur, would have catastrophic consequences.”
“Russia and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) have begun to aggressively challenge international norms and global peace using instruments of power and threats of force in ways not seen since the height of the Cold War—and in some cases, in ways not seen during the Cold War, such as cyberattacks and threats in space. Not surprisingly, they are even taking advantage of the global pandemic to advance their national agendas. These behaviors are destabilizing, and if left unchecked, increase the risk of great power crisis or conflict. We must actively compete to hold their aggression in check; ceding to their initiatives risks reinforcing their perceptions that the United States is unwilling or unable to respond, which could further embolden them. Additionally, our allies may interpret inaction as an unwillingness or inability to lead.”
“The strategic capabilities of our competitors continue to grow, and they are sobering. More than a decade ago, Russia began aggressively modernizing its nuclear forces, including its non-treaty-accountable medium- and short-range systems. It is modernizing bombers, intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, warning systems, command-and-control (C2) capabilities, and the doctrine to underpin their employment—in short, its entire strategic force structure. This modernization is about 70 percent complete and on track to be fully realized in a few years. In addition, Russia is building new and novel systems, such as hypersonic glide vehicles, nuclear-armed and nuclear-powered torpedoes and cruise missiles, and other capabilities. ”
“The People’s Republic of China is also on a trajectory to be a strategic peer and should not be mistaken as a “lesser included” case. Like Russia, it acts aggressively to challenge democratic values and shape the global economic order to its benefit.”
Democrats are not as pro-military. Biden called an AR-15, an AR-14 and it is likely that he is going to cut into military funding in order to fund some green initiative. But we really do need to build up our arsenal not to necessarily use it, but as a deterrent. Russia and China are not going to stop just because we have a weak leader in office. So we can only hope that Biden doesn’t neuter us.
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