US Chief of Staff: War with Russia and China not inevitable
The most senior officer in the US Armed Forces, US Chief of Staff Mark Milley, has said a military confrontation with Russia and China is neither inevitable nor imminent. There has been no war between major powers for 80 years, Milley said on Thursday at a hearing before a subcommittee of the US House of Representatives on the defense budget for fiscal year 2024. In order to prevent such a conflict in the future, the US military must be the strongest in the world stay, said Milley.
China remains the greatest challenge for the United States in the long term. The Asian country is aiming for dominance in the western Pacific and Asia within the next ten years. By 2049, China wants to surpass the US in military capability, Milley said. 2049 is a symbolic year for the Chinese Communist Party as it marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
Russia is also an “acute threat” and remains “very dangerous,” said the US chief of staff. Both China and Russia have the means to threaten US interests and the American way of life.