Joint Chiefs nominee: Russian Federation greatest threat

“My assessment today, Senator, is that Russian Federation presents the greatest threat to our national security”, said Dunford, the Marine Corps commandant, who is expected to swiftly win Senate confirmation to become the top United States military officer.

(A source close to the F-35 program told Colin Clark of Breaking Defense that he was comfortable with the need for review and said nothing has changed strategically enough to change the need for 2,443 planes.).

“I think it’s reasonable to assume that”, Dunford said. “And frankly, without that kind of support, they’re not going to be able to protect themselves against Russian aggression”.

He pointed to Russia’s nuclear capability and its capability to violate the sovereignty of other countries and allies of the USA and to “do things that are inconsistent with our national interests”.

He praised him as someone who had spent substantial time thinking about threats to USA security but said Dunford’s comments reflected his own views and not necessarily “the consensus analysis of the president’s national security team”.

U.S. had taken many steps to address those challenges, Toner said, “But I would add that the Secretary (of State John Kerry) doesn’t agree with the assessment that Russian Federation is an existential threat to the United States, nor China, quite frankly”. A copy was obtained by The Associated Press.

He added North Korea and the Islamic State organization to the list of threats, as well as the challenges in space and in cyber domain, the report says. He said that without talking with commanders on the ground, he could not provide further insight into the problems.

Since then, IS has seized control of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province in western Iraq, and other key terrain in the region.

In his testimony, Dunford said that even if there is a deal, “my expectation is that Iran will continue its malign activities” in the Middle East, supporting fighters in Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and “exacerbating Sunni-[Shiite] division across the region”.

Asked how the U.S. viewed the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s move to commence the process of granting India and Pakistan full membership, he said: “I’d refer you to India and Pakistan for a reaction to that or for the reasons why they’ve chosen to join that group”.