The director of the United States Department of Defense Intelligence Agency (RUMO), Colonel General Robert Ashley, speaking at the annual security forum organized by the Aspen Institute, assessed the possible threats to the United States from Russia and China. Answering the moderator of the discussion, which of the two powers represents a great danger to the United States, the head of the American military intelligence answered: "There is a time factor here, but I would say that in the near future it is still Russia."

According to Ashley, since the Russian Federation has at its disposal “several thousand nuclear weapons, it represents a threat to the existence” of the United States.

“China in the long run will become a leader in the economy. Judging by the actions of Xi Jinping, his country plans to completely modernize its armed forces by 2035, and by the middle of this century to reach the same level with us, ”added the head of RUMO.

According to experts, the statements of Robert Ashley fit into the tradition that has already become customary for the American military to consider Moscow and Beijing as the main geopolitical rivals of Washington.

“This assessment is fully consistent with the provisions of the national security strategy and the US national defense strategy. So General Ashley only reproduced the official point of view. And it was simply impossible to hear anything else from him, ”said Vladimir Batyuk, head of the Center for Military-Political Studies at the Institute of the USA and Canada, RAS, in a conversation with RT

In turn, according to military expert Yuri Knutov, such a ranking of threats is connected with the reassessment by the US armed forces of the military-political situation in the world as a whole. In the 1990s and early 2000s, the United States was the only superpower, the expert says.

But then the world changed, and Washington began to view the growth of power and influence of other powers as a threat to its system of world domination. And if China challenges the US leadership in the economic sphere, then Russia is the only one in the world that can challenge the Americans in the military field, states Yuri Knutov.

“The world is becoming multipolar. The role of Russia, China and India is increasing dramatically in international relations. Thus, the United States understands that their hegemony comes to an end, the expert noted in an interview with RT. - China is becoming the leading economic power in the world. But in terms of nuclear potential, today it is inferior to the United States, and Russia is on the same level with this indicator with the United States. ”

"We are a little behind"

Robert Ashley also admitted that while the world is facing a confrontation between several great powers - the Russian Federation, the People's Republic of China and the United States, Washington is lagging behind Moscow and Beijing in some areas. However, what exactly is in question, the colonel-general did not specify.

“In some cases we are a little behind, in some we are ahead. But overall, we are in a good position. I can’t tell in details in which areas we are lagging behind, because we are talking about vulnerability, about information that I don’t want to disclose, because I am sure that this broadcast can be watched in Moscow and Beijing, ”the American military said.

The head of the RUMO devoted considerable attention to military rivalry with Moscow and Beijing in space, noting the dependence of the American army on data received from satellites. In his opinion, China and Russia possess technologies that allow us to disable American military facilities in Earth orbit.

  • United States Department of Defense Intelligence Agency Director (DIA) Robert Ashley
  • Reuters
  • © Joshua Roberts

Two other areas that the US, in the opinion of the head of RUMO, should develop as intensively as possible are quantum technologies and the development of artificial intelligence systems.

“Quantum computers, quantum sensors and quantum communication are all integral priorities of our future work,” said Robert Ashley, stressing that Washington should keep track of how other powers are working in these areas.

Also, the head of the US military intelligence said that his department was interested in obtaining data on the capabilities and features of the hypersonic systems, in order to provide for the actual protection against such weapons. In February of this year, Sam Greaves, the director of the United States Missile Defense Agency, announced the development of means of intercepting hypersonic missiles, and before him the Pentagon Advanced Research Projects Administration (DARPA).

Previously, successes in this area were spoken in the PRC, and last year Russia became the first country in the world to declare that it put into service hypersonic complexes. This is the Dagger airborne system. In the current year, the Avangard hypersonic complexes, which can carry nuclear warheads, must take up combat duty in the Russian Federation.

US hypersound technology is currently in the testing phase, and its NATO allies, Germany, France and the United Kingdom, have not made further progress on their plans to build such systems.

"Justify unfriendly activity"

According to Vladimir Batiuk, judging by the statements of the American military, it is entirely possible to assume in which areas of military construction the United States lags behind Russia and China.

“These are artillery, electronic warfare, hypersonic weapons, anti-aircraft tactical missile defense systems - there is a lag here, which can seriously affect the balance of power in regional theaters of operations,” Batiuk believes.

Last December, the United States Audit Chamber published a report stating that Moscow and Beijing overtook Washington in a hypersonic race.

  • Multipurpose MiG-31 fighter with a hypersonic Dagger rocket
  • RIA News
  • © Evgeny Biyatov

Also, the agency, which in its report cites the opinions of analysts from various government agencies, notes the high potential of Russia and China in the field of military application of artificial intelligence, space technology, aircraft industry and the creation of sea-based combat systems.

So, the readiness of the Ministry of Defense of Russia to work on artificial intelligence technologies was announced by Advisor to the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Andrei Ilnitsky at the Army-2019 forum.

On the fields of the same event, the head of the research department of the Ryazan Guards Higher Airborne Command School, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Colonel Vasily Yelistratov told RT about the Mars engineering complex, which uses elements of artificial intelligence in its work.

In addition, at the end of June, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the timing of delivery of the newest weapons to the troops.

“Hypersonic Dagger missile system, Peresvet laser system, Sarmat heavy intercontinental missile, Poseidon submarine drone, our unlimited range cruise missile with Burevestnik nuclear power plant, other modern equipment will be sent to the troops in the coming years ", - Putin said on June 27 at a reception in honor of graduates of military higher educational institutions.

However, as Yury Knutov notes, all these weapons are necessary for Moscow exclusively for protection. According to the expert, Russia adheres to defensive military doctrine, which means that it does not pose any threat to foreign powers. The US rhetoric about potential “aggression” on the part of Moscow may be caused by the intentions of a number of representatives of the American establishment “to justify the unfriendly activity of the United States” towards the Russian Federation, Knutov believes.

Need for dialogue

However, General Ashley, in his speech, noted that neither China, nor Russia, nor Iran really strive for war with the United States, since they understand that the consequences of a potential conflict can be terrifying for all participants. According to the military, in order to avoid possible dangerous consequences, the powers should establish proper operation of communication channels - in particular, between the defense departments of the Russian Federation and the United States.

  • Servicemen of China and Russia
  • globallookpress.com
  • © Xian Yunqiang / Xinhua

“It is necessary to ensure a certain degree of deconflictization and conduct a dialogue at the military level. We are working hard to ensure that such communication channels function, ”the head of the Intelligence Department of the US Department of Defense said.

Earlier, a similar statement was made by the Commander of NATO forces in Europe, General Curtis Scaparotti. In April, he announced the need to "communicate more with Russia." According to him, such contacts would allow both sides to adequately assess each other’s intentions and capabilities and avoid unnecessary clashes.

“Relations between the Russian and American military are maintained in areas where it corresponds to mutual interests - for example, in Syria. These channels are very important to prevent unwanted incidents between the Russian and American military, ”Butyuk stresses.

According to experts, the US military is well aware of the risks of escalating tensions with Russia. After all, they themselves highly appreciate the Russian defense potential, especially the nuclear one.

“Our breakthrough technologies, including in the field of hypersound, ensure Russia's superiority over the United States militarily,” Knutov said.