Speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee, which is to approve the defense budget for fiscal 2022 and the Defense Program for future years, the head of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), General Kenneth McKenzie said that it was from Russia and China that the "growing threat" was allegedly emanating.

According to him, Moscow and Beijing allegedly took advantage of the unstable situation in the world to increase their influence in the world.

“In 2020, China and Russia took advantage of the ongoing regional crises, financial and infrastructural difficulties, the apparent slowdown in US activity and the coronavirus pandemic to advance their goals in the Middle East, Central and South Asia, and gain or increase influence in the region,” he said. American general.

Therefore, according to Mackenzie, one of the main areas of efforts of his command is "long-term strategic rivalry" with Russia and China.

In turn, the head of the US African Command (AFRICOM), General Stephen Townsend, during the hearings in the Senate, focused on Chinese and Russian activities in Africa, as well as on its implications for US strategic efforts in the region.

According to him, maintaining stability on this continent is an approach that "will ensure lasting peace and a strategic advantage in the region to counter the influence of Russia and China."

According to the general, this should be a priority not only for the Pentagon, but for the entire United States government.

Townsend believes that, regardless of the situation in African countries, the United States is risking itself.

“China and Russia are not ignoring Africa, and that in itself already means something,” he said.

The American general is convinced that the United States is required to be more involved in what is happening on the continent.

Townsend called the African Lion maneuvers and the Express series of naval exercises an important factor in forging the personal connections necessary for the successful operation of the American side on the continent.

Traditional rhetoric

It should be noted that this is not the first time that the United States has announced the notorious Russian and Chinese "threats."

So, one of the main directions indicated in the budget proposals of the White House is precisely the counteraction of the Russian Federation and the PRC.

The corresponding document was published on April 9.

It emphasizes that the American side "will seek to contain the destabilizing actions of Russia."

Earlier it became known that the White House intends to request $ 753 billion for the needs of the national defense in the 2022 fiscal year, which is 1.7% more than in the current period.

$ 715 billion of this amount will go to the Pentagon.

  • The White house

  • AFP

  • © Saul LOEB

The thesis of the "threat" allegedly emanating from Moscow and Beijing is also indicated in the interim strategic guidance on the national security of the United States, published by the White House in early March.

“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 globally,” the strategic guidance says.

At the same time, the authors of the document emphasize that Russia allegedly seeks "to strengthen its global influence and play a destabilizing role in the world arena."

It is also noted that Washington will assess the structure, capabilities and scale of the American armed forces "in the face of strategic challenges from an increasingly assertive China and the destabilizing situation in Russia."

However, the US statements about threats allegedly emanating from the Russian Federation and the PRC were heard even before the new administration of Joe Biden came to power.

So, in February 2020, the press secretary of the US Defense Department, Alyssa Farah, announced an order to deploy units of the "1st Security Assistance Brigade" in Africa to increase "the effectiveness of competition with China and Russia" in this region.

In March, the head of the African Command of the American Armed Forces announced that Washington wants to strengthen its position on the African continent to counter the allegedly growing influence of Moscow and Beijing in the region.

According to him, Russia and China compete with the United States in Africa through the use of "economic, diplomatic and military means."

And in October 2020, Mark Esper, then head of the Pentagon, accused Russia and China of intimidating other countries, putting pressure on them and spreading "authoritarian influence" throughout the world, including Africa.

He stated this, speaking in Tunisia, during his tour of North African countries.

"Baseless accusations"

As HSE professor Dmitry Evstafiev noted in an interview with RT, with their statements about Russian and Chinese threats, American generals "are trying to shift responsibility from a sore head to a healthy one."

“It's not Russia or China that is trying to forcefully push the United States out of the regions that were previously considered a priority for the United States.

Washington's positions in these territories are weakening due to the unstable situation within the United States itself and the inability to build mutually respectful relations with other states, ”the analyst explained.

At the same time, according to Evstafiev, it would be extremely naive to expect from the Russian Federation and the PRC "inaction in a situation where the vacuum on the African continent, the Middle East and other regions is not filled."

  • US military in Africa

  • © US Army Africa

“Better this void will be occupied by the mutually beneficial partnership of Russia and China with African countries than their interaction with terrorist entities.

Although, perhaps, the Americans have a different opinion on this matter, ”the expert said.

At the same time, Evstafiev called the hearings of the Senate Committee on the Armed Forces regarding the defense budget for the 2022 fiscal year and the Defense Program "a lobbying event."

According to him, speaking with theses about threats from the Russian Federation and China, the American generals "are trying to obtain additional funding" for the activities of their commands.

“However, this does not negate the fact that the speeches of the military leaders are coordinated at the highest political level and show important geo-economic positions for the United States,” the analyst emphasized.

Political scientist and military expert Ivan Konovalov noted for his part that the baseless accusations of American military leaders against Russia and China could later become the basis for new sanctions measures against these two countries.

“At the same time, the US generals either really do not understand the military-political realities, or simply pretend, ostensibly not noticing that the Russian Federation and China are helping third countries in Africa, the Middle East and other regions.

We are talking, in particular, about the restoration of Syria after the war, building up military-technical cooperation with African states, "he stressed in a conversation with RT.

In American politics and among US military leaders, signs of "geopolitical greed" are becoming more and more apparent, Yevstafiev said.

“The goal of the United States, based on the words of American generals, is not to ensure the development and stability of countries in Africa, the Middle East and other regions. The main task is to screw up the Russians and the Chinese. This approach is counterproductive. But, unfortunately, the United States is really beginning to lean more towards a strategy of chaos in some regions that they cannot control, ”the analyst concluded.