With All Eyes On China, US Army Must Ensure It’s Prepared To Deter Russia In Europe (From Breaking Defense)

It has become almost an article of faith in the Department of Defense that China is rapidly becoming the threat of greatest concern to the U.S. Some defense officials have even offered the opinion that the balance of military power in the Western Pacific has already shifted to such a degree that the United States could lose to China in a future conflict. The U.S. Army is trying to recast itself as a critical part of the Joint Force in the Pacific. But such a myopia for the Pacific too often overlooks, to America’s peril, Russia and its growing land forces. It can be argued that the threat posed by the former Cold War foe is both more immediate and more stressing than that of China and should be a higher priority to the United States’ land-fighting forces in the Army. As the Army’s modernization focuses on forces and weapons systems with the Pacific theater in mind, it cannot forget to ensure that forces in Europe are of sufficient quantity and quality to deter any Russian designs on Europe. I have written more on the need to modernize U.S. land forces for a future conflict in Europe here.