Russia currently poses the greatest global threat to the United
States, according to the man slated to be President Barack Obama's top military
advisor.
"Russia
presents the greatest threat to our national security," Gen. Joseph
Dunford told the Senate Armed Services committee during his confirmation
hearing to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
With its large
nuclear arsenal, destabilizing role in Ukraine and threat to NATO nations on
its borders, Russia presents a significant challenge to the U.S., even as it
faces threats like that of ISIS.
"If you want
to talk about a nation that could pose an existential threat to the United
States, I would have to point to Russia," Dunford said. "And if you
look at their behavior, it's nothing short of alarming,"
Dunford told committee Chairman John McCain, an Arizona
Republican, that it would be "reasonable" for the United States to
provide sophisticated anti-tank and artillery assistance to the Ukrainian
government in response to the situation in eastern Ukraine.
"Frankly,
without that kind of support, they're not going to be able to protect
themselves against Russian aggression," he said.
Other top U.S.
officials, including Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, have also voiced their
support for supplying such weapons to Ukraine, but the Obama administration has
declined to do so at this point.
When asked about
other top challenges, Dunford said China falls right behind Russia because of
their capabilities and their behavior throughout the Asia Pacific.
China has been
increasingly assertive in the South China and East China Seas, building up
artificial islands for possible military use and asserting territorial rights
disputed by their neighbors, most of whom are American allies.
While he said
China does not currently pose a direct threat to U.S. national security, their
activities bear watching.
North Korea and its ballistic missile capabilities along with
the growing international threat of ISIS were also part of the list.
In the Middle
East, however, he pointed to Iran as "the most destabilizing element"
in the region and "clearly a malign influence."
He pointed to
Tehran's support for the Houthi rebels in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon, as
well as its involvement in Syria and Iraq.
He added,
"They're creating, I think -- they're exacerbating, at least -- the
Sunni-Shia sectarianism across the region."
On the recent
disclosure by Defense Secretary Ashton Carter that the U.S. has only trained 60
individuals in Syria to fight ISIS, Dunford said that that low figure had to do
with the intense vetting done for the program. He adding that there would need
to be a change in U.S. policy before such forces were able to also take on the
forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
One area Dunford
was reluctant to discuss was the origin of his nickname, "Fighting
Joe." While joking that his wife may have had a part in its creation, he
deferred any further discussion on the matter in the open setting.
If confirmed,
Dunford, the current commandant of the Marine Corps and former commander of
U.S. forces in Afghanistan, will face an uncertain budget environment for the
armed services, with the threat of forced cuts through sequestration looming
later this year.
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