By JAMES KITFIELD
Gen. Joe Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Staff, spoke final calendar week alongside a modest grouping of traveling reporters afterward tending a conference of NATO Military Chiefs inwards Warsaw, including Breaking Defense contributor James Kitfield. Dunford described Russia’s strategy for pulling NATO apart in addition to reiterated that Moscow poses the unmarried greatest global threat to the UnIted States. Edited excerpts of that interview follow. Q: How would you lot depict Moscow’s strategy?
Dunford: Russian Federation has studied the U.S.A. since 1991 [at the cease of the Cold War], in addition to they know that the origin of our strategic strength is the network of allies in addition to partners that nosotros possess got built over seventy years, in addition to that operationally our strength is the might to projection armed forces power. So I intend Russia’s strategy is pretty simple: They desire to undermine the credibility of the U.S.A. inwards damage of coming together its alliance commitments, in addition to so erode the cohesion of the NATO alliance. They every bit good desire to plain capabilities to challenge our might to projection might into Europe. That’s why they’ve taken this modest patch of solid ground inwards Kaliningrad [on the Baltic Sea] in addition to deployed anti-ship cruise missiles, anti-ship ballistic missiles, in addition to air defence forcefulness systems there. It’s an anti-access, aerial denial strategy aimed at challenging the Euro-Atlantic link.
Q: Since Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea in addition to armed forces intervention inwards eastern Ukraine, NATO launched the European Deterrence Initiative; deployed 4 “Battle Groups” to frontline states inwards the Baltics in addition to Poland; announced 2 novel commands for reinforcing NATO forces inwards the lawsuit of an actual conflict; in addition to adopted inwards regulation Defense Secretary Jim Mattis’ readiness finish of having xxx battalions, xxx warships, in addition to xxx squadrons of aircraft create to deploy inwards xxx days. Is it fair to say that NATO has awakened from its post-Cold War slumber?
Dunford: I volition tell you lot that [last week’s Military Chiefs] coming together was 1 of the most productive e'er for this reason: 3 years agone at that topographic point was non the appreciation nosotros watch today of the challenge posed past times Russian Federation in addition to the threat of vehement extremism. As a armed forces leader it’s real slowly right away because nosotros don’t possess got to ground those threats whatsoever more. We right away possess got a real clear mandate to accommodate NATO’s to expression upward those challenges. NATO is get-go in addition to initiative of all well-nigh deterrence, in addition to collective defence forcefulness inwards the lawsuit that deterrence fails. All of our activities – our exercises, our training, in addition to changes inwards our forcefulness posture – are designed to ship a message, peculiarly to Russia, that NATO has effective deterrence in addition to collective defence forcefulness capabilities.
Q: Do you lot watch similarities betwixt Russia’s actions inwards the Baltic Sea in addition to China’s aggressive posture inwards the South Cathay Sea, where Beijing is edifice artificial islands, militarizing them, in addition to and then claiming zones of exclusive sovereignty?
Dunford: There are clear similarities, because what Russian Federation is trying to produce vis-à-vis our allies in addition to might to projection power, Cathay is every bit good trying to do. Cathay is a rise might inwards the Pacific, in addition to they possess got a fundamentally dissimilar aeroplane of authorities in addition to roughly protectionist economical policies that possess got created friction inwards our relationship. I would broaden it fifty-fifty beyond the South Cathay Sea, in addition to tell you lot we’re seeing an erosion inwards the rules-based international lodge inwards the region. Along alongside our Pacific partners nosotros percentage a commitment to a gratuitous in addition to opened upward Indo-Pacific based on international rules, norms in addition to standards.
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