The Russian-Chinese alliance is seen as the biggest threat to global security.

The United States faces its most severe and complex threats since the end of the Second World War. An official report says it risks being drawn into a multi-theater war against peer and near-peer adversaries, with a real possibility of defeat, naming China and Russia – and their anti-Western alliance – as the biggest threat to global security and proposing major changes in America’s military doctrine.

In its report, the Commission on the National Defense Strategy calls for a decisive shift in how the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) operates, advocating for profound reforms, coordination with allies, and increased investment across all national security agencies.

More to read:
Report: China is almost as strong as U.S.

The current National Defense Strategy (NDS), written in 2022, fails to adequately address the ongoing wars in Europe and the Middle East or the looming threat of a larger conflict in Asia, says the document by pointing to a probable Chinese invasion in Taiwan.

Historically, the United States has been slow to recognize major threats - failing to anticipate the rise of terrorism before 2001, underestimating China’s growing power, and overlooking Russia’s renewed aggression, the American security experts admitted.

Persisting with the current strategy, bureaucratic processes, and resource levels will further erode the U.S.’s standing against escalating and coordinated global threats.

More to read:
Five security scenarios on Russian war in Ukraine for 2024-2025

According to the Commission, urgent and transformative action is required right away.

This entails fundamental changes to DoD operations, strategic adjustments across government agencies, improved functionality in Congress, closer collaboration with allies, mobilization of public and private sectors, pursuing innovation and technological advances, increased military-industrial capabilities, and larger investments of taxpayer money in modern weapon systems.

Source: U.S. Congress

Based on the findings, the Commission outlined a number of recommendations to achieve the above-stated goals. First, it is necessary for the government to admit that the United States faces the most challenging global environment since the Cold War, with worsening trends and severe consequences.

More to read:
China is preparing for something big. What for?

Another response is the transformation of DoD in terms of functionality, enabling it to rapidly adapt to urgent threats – although the report isn’t clear whether it implicitly means circumventing approval for action from civilian bureaucracy.

The Commission also notes that DoD cannot ensure national defense alone and therefore needs a comprehensive approach that involves resources across the executive branch, private sector, civil society, and – importantly – allied nations. It proposes a Multiple Theater Force Construct, enabling the Joint Force, alongside allies and partners, to defend the homeland while addressing simultaneous threats in the Indo-Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East.

The report does not explain whether this means upgrading NATO capabilities or forming a parallel military structure.

More to read:
In 1994, France refused to offer security guarantees to Ukraine in exchange for denuclearization

Further on, the Commission criticized the existing all-volunteer model in the military and defense workforce, due to their shrinking size, and suggested updating the recruitment process without indicating that mandatory service was viewed as a solution.

Under “smarter spending and increased investment,” the Commission meant among others revoking the 2023 Fiscal Responsibility Act spending caps on defense and funneling extra funding on long-term investments that match the scale of U.S. national security efforts during the Cold War.

The full report is HERE.

***
NewsCafe is an independent outlet that cares about big issues. Our sources of income amount to ads and donations from readers. You can support us via PayPal: office[at]rudeana.com or paypal.me/newscafeeu, or https://buymeacoffee.com/newscafe. Any amount is welcome.