Russia and China are "threats" for the United States.

This is stated in the interim strategic guidance on national security, published on the website of the White House.

“Russia remains determined in its desire to increase its global influence and play a destabilizing role in the world arena.

Both Beijing and Moscow have invested heavily in efforts to weaken the strengths of the United States and prevent us from defending our interests and the interests of our allies on a global scale, ”the document says.

The authors of the guide also believe that "China's assertiveness has skyrocketed."

"It is the only competitor that can potentially combine its economic, diplomatic, military and technological forces in order to challenge a stable and open international system in the long term," - are confident in Washington.

The document also says that, together with its allies and partners, the United States can "modernize the architecture of international cooperation" and thus bring it in line with the challenges of the current century.

It is also reported about the plans of the American side "to fight the existential threat posed by nuclear weapons."

“We will discourage costly arms races and restore our credibility as an arms control leader.

That is why we quickly made a decision to extend START III with Russia, ”the White House explained.

The United States also intends to take all necessary measures to ensure that the US military remains "the armed forces with the best training and weapons in the world."

“In the face of strategic challenges from an increasingly assertive China and a destabilizing Russian environment, we will assess the structure, capabilities and scale of the armed forces to match this, and in cooperation with Congress, we will move the focus away from old platforms and weapons systems that are not needed. to free up resources for investment in advanced technologies and capabilities that will shape our future military and national security strengths, ”reads one section of the guide.

At the same time, the authors of the document stressed that the United States "should not and will not participate in" endless wars ", the cost of which has already become thousands of lives and trillions of dollars."

“We will work to end the longest war in US history in Afghanistan in a responsible manner.

At the same time, we will take all measures to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a haven again for terrorist attacks against the United States.

As for the rest of the world, as we position ourselves to contain our opponents and protect our interests in cooperation with our partners, our presence will be most significant in the Indo-Pacific region and in Europe ", - this is how Washington's plans are indicated in the leadership ...

In addition, the White House promised to change the American military presence in the Middle East to a level "necessary to suppress the activities of international terrorist organizations, contain Iran's aggression and protect other key American interests."

The interim strategic leadership of the US national security was assessed by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova on the air of the radio station "Moscow speaking".

  • Official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia Maria Zakharova

  • RIA News

  • © Press Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation

According to her, "Russophobia is the magic wand that comes to the rescue when it is necessary to show" that the United States is supposedly united.

“The main enemy of the United States will be considered all those who will compete with them in any area.

Accordingly, the containment of Russia is the same goal, the same task: not to give our country the opportunity to compete on equal terms, to outrun something on equal terms, to compete on equal terms in something, again, on an international legal basis. ", - the diplomat emphasized.

Political context

On March 3, the head of the State Department, Anthony Blinken, announced that in a few months the United States would develop a National Defense Strategy (NDS).

He also announced the publication of an interim strategic guidance on national security so that agencies can begin work on its implementation.

Blinken stressed, among other things, that the United States no longer intends to promote democracy in the world by trying to overthrow foreign regimes by force and conducting military interventions.

According to him, this tactic did not work.

Blinken promised that the United States will now do things differently and "set an example" for other countries - to encourage them to carry out reforms, repeal "bad laws", fight corruption and eradicate injustice.

Earlier, in early February, US Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks noted that the American side plans to adjust the national defense strategy and nuclear doctrine ("Nuclear Policy Review").

At the same time, the politician called the ongoing military modernization of the armed forces in China and "destructive Russia" as special challenges for the US Armed Forces.

According to Hicks, it is important to effectively contain these states, which are "building up" their nuclear arsenals.

Recall that the current version of the US National Defense Strategy was published under Trump in early 2018.

In this document, Russia and China were also identified as the main rivals of the American side.

As Mark Esper, then acting head of the Pentagon, emphasized in the summer of 2019, the NDS is a "policy document" that talks about "great power competition."

Esper also noted that, based on strategy, the goal of the Pentagon is "to contain conflicts and, if necessary, to fight and win on the battlefield."

"Opponents number one"

As Vladimir Batyuk, head of the Center for Military-Political Research of the Institute of the USA and Canada of the Russian Academy of Sciences, noted in an interview with RT, the interim strategic leadership on the national security of the United States demonstrates the new administration's disposition to continue the line of confrontation between Russia and China.

"According to the document, these are the main opponents of the United States, and it is already obvious that countering these countries will become the main foreign policy task of the new White House administration," the expert said in a conversation with RT.

In addition, he drew attention to the fact that the idea that the United States should maintain its position as a global leader runs through the entire leadership.

“At the same time, Washington declares that it will avoid any long-term wars or attempts to forcefully bring democracy in its American interpretation to other countries.

It is worth noting here that this provision is unlikely to exclude the possibility of using American special forces in short-term military operations or strikes with the use of missile forces and aircraft on objects occupied by geopolitical opponents of the United States, ”says Batyuk.

From his point of view, "the leaders of the Biden administration would be very happy to continue the policy of imposing democracy through protracted military conflicts."

“However, the situation in the United States itself and the mood in American society do not allow the continuation of such a course,” the expert said.

  • United States military air force

  • Reuters

  • © Jonathan Drake

According to Vladimir Batyuk, the White House is now reconsidering the approach to dialogue with partners, which was practiced under Trump. 

“If the ex-president of the United States sought to minimize contacts with other countries, then Biden will try to focus on globalization, the formation of various alliances and strengthening NATO.

All the public statements of the new leadership indicate that Washington is betting precisely on the development of relations with its allies, ”the analyst says.

According to him, the leadership on national security also demonstrates that the United States "does not like Russia's leading position" in the field of hypersonic technologies and nuclear modernization, as well as China's efforts in this direction.

“Washington understands that it will not be possible to overcome this gap quickly.

Therefore, for now, the Americans are ready for a dialogue on limiting the latest weapons systems, ”Batiuk explained.

In addition, according to him, "it is not very clear what political results Washington intends to achieve by extending the stay of its troops on foreign territory," as stated in the new document. 

The analyst also believes that the US course towards Russia and China "creates the most favorable conditions for rapprochement between Moscow and Beijing."

"The continuation of this line will lead to the fact that the Russian Federation and the PRC will further develop their cooperation, including in the military-technical sphere," says Batyuk.

In turn, the expert of the International Institute for Humanitarian and Political Research Vladimir Bruter in an interview with RT drew attention to the fact that “the United States all the time refer to the allegedly destabilizing role of Russia and China in the world, which, of course, does not correspond to reality, while keeping silent about their destructive activities. "

“This approach completely discredits the American authorities, who are confident that only the United States can be a leader in one area or another.

The White House believes that it is forbidden for other states to even compete with the United States, let alone to surpass them in some way.

This position can hardly be called constructive.

In the new leadership, the Biden administration does not even hide that it is ready to spend colossal resources on the military sphere.

However, in the future, this does not guarantee the American side global primacy either in the field of armaments or in terms of geopolitics, ”concluded Bruter.