US cannot win a war with China or Russia in the future; US Congress

Washington: The bi-party committee appointed by the US Congress has claimed, ‘The US military has lost its edge. The US military, known to be the most advanced and powerful for the last so many decades will not be able to win a war against Russia or China in the future.’ At the same time, the committee warned that the United States might have to fight a war on two fronts,in the times to come. The bi-party committee has prepared this report against the background of the National Security policies announced by US President Donald Trump.

‘The National Defence Strategy Commission’, which had representation from leaders of both democrat and republican parties, submitted this report to the US Congress. A leading US daily published news referring to this report of the committee. Questions have been raised regarding the defence-related policies of President Trump and the readiness of the US defence forces. The US defence expenditure provision is $716 billion, which is more than the Chinese and Russian provisions put together. The report claims that despite this the US defence forces compete with the Russian and Chinese defence forces.

The report alleges that President Trump’s defence policies are neither aggressive nor do they prioritise modernisation of the US defence forces. Therefore, there is a threat of the US defence forces losing their influence. On the other hand, Russia and China are trying to increase their military influence in their regions. Governments of both countries are succeeding in increasing their military preparedness at the international level, targeting the United States. The report alleges that the lack of innovation, insufficient funding and unpreparedness are the reasons for the reducing US military influence.

At the same time, the report also points out that the change in the US military policies in Europe, Gulf and Asia also is affecting the US defence preparedness. The joint committee lashed out at President Trump’s policies saying, ‘The allies in Europe, Asia and Gulf do not explicitly trust the United States as they did earlier. In this scenario, if a war is sparked with China or Russia, the United States will have to pay a hefty price or the United States may also be defeated in the war.’

The report has a concluding statement that if the US defence forces are to be modernised, the US Congress should relax the limits imposed on the defence expenditure and allow an increase in the US defence expenditure for the next two years. The US analysts have criticised the report saying that the report makes no reference to the previous Obama administration’s decisions for a reduction in the defence expenditure as well asin the capabilities of the navy and air force while giving importance to the conflicts in the Gulf. At the same time, there is also a criticism that the report fails to recognise the earlier warnings issued about the ebbing influence of the US military during the Obama administration, even before President Trump took over the reins of the country.