Milley Tells War College Grads That Russia, China To Present Challenges In Years Ahead

Russia and China will continue to pose security challenges to the United States in the decades ahead as the world becomes increasingly multipolar, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said on Thursday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th June, 2023) Russia and China will continue to pose security challenges to the United States in the decades ahead as the world becomes increasingly multipolar, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said on Thursday.

"The geopolitical situation is changing in very fundamental ways," Milley said during a speech at the National Defense University graduation ceremony. "It is increasingly clear that we are really in a multipolar international environment with at least three great powers: the United States, China and Russia; and three is more complicated than two, and certainly much more complicated than one."

The National Defense University, which is funded by the US Defense Department, is constituted by five colleges, including the National War College, Joint Forces Staff College and College of International Security Affairs.

China is on a path to confrontation with both its neighbors and the US, Milley said.

China intends to be a regional hegemon in the Western Pacific and Asia within a decade, and to exceed overall US military capability by mid-century, Milley said.

However, conflict between the US and China is neither imminent nor inevitable, Milley added.

Russia is likely to remain a threat to peace in Europe for "many years" to come, Milley said. The US and its allies will need to maintain a strong deterrence posture to avoid continent-wide conflict, Milley said.

Moreover, the nature of warfare is changing alongside advancements in technology such as robotics and artificial intelligence, Milley said.

Portions of the Air Force, Navy and Army are set to become crewless or partially crewless in the years ahead as robotics become increasingly used for defense applications, Milley said.

The US needs to significantly modernize its military forces over the next 10-15 years in order to keep pace with the changing nature of warfare and deterrence, Milley said.