In the midst of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, in which Moscow is threatening to use nuclear weapons, and in the face of growing tensions with China, especially in the Taiwan Strait, the American administration has presented its National Defense Strategy.

The Pentagon had already sent the military strategy to Congress as classified information in the spring.

It waited until the White House issued its broader National Security Strategy before releasing a declassified version.

Majid Sattar

Political correspondent for North America based in Washington.

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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reiterated in Washington on Thursday that China is also the greatest threat from a strategic military point of view.

It is the only country that "both wants to restructure the international order and increasingly has the strength to do so".

Russia, on the other hand, is classified as an “acute” threat.

Austin emphasized that the word was carefully chosen.

"Unlike China, Russia cannot systematically challenge the United States in the long run."

But Russian aggression is a direct and powerful threat to American interests and values.

The 80-page document also includes a review of America's nuclear arsenal and conventional missile deterrence capability.

With regard to the use of their own nuclear weapons, it is said that a very high threshold will continue to be set.

The document is silent on what changes the Pentagon intends to make to its weapon systems and military presence to adapt to new international threats.

It also does not contain any possible reactions to concrete escalations, such as the use of tactical nuclear weapons by Moscow in Ukraine or an invasion of Taiwan by the People's Republic of China.

However, it does describe that Russia, which has over 2,000 tactical nuclear weapons at its disposal, could consider using them to win a war in its neighborhood or avoid defeat in a conventional war.

Beijing's efforts are also described to rapidly expand its nuclear arsenal in the coming years - to 1,000 nuclear weapons with a strategic range.

For North Korea, the document warns that using nuclear weapons against the United States or its partners would mean "the end of Kim Jong-un's regime".

"There is no scenario in which the Kim regime could use nuclear weapons and survive," it said.

Referring to Iran, it is emphasized that the country does not currently have a nuclear weapon, "and we currently believe that it is not trying to get one".

However, Iran is building nuclear capabilities that would allow nuclear weapons to be developed.

Overall, it is stated that the dangers from Pyongyang and Tehran, but also from terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda and the "Islamic State" continue to exist.

However, the Pentagon is focusing on Beijing and Moscow.

China and Russia presented greater security challenges, despite ongoing terrorist threats.

Both countries have now developed the ability to paralyze American technology in space - both military and civilian - with space weapons.

Hypersonic missiles and novel biological and chemical weapons are also identified as new challenges.