American general: Russia is the only threat to the US existence

The commander of the US nuclear forces called Russia the primary threat to the United States. At the same time, he also singled out North Korea and China, noting that the latter, in its pace, is developing faster than other opponents.

“Russia is the most significant threat, because at the moment it is the only one that threatens the very existence of our country. Therefore, we need to look at it from such a perspective, ”said General John Heithen, head of the US Strategic Command, speaking at a conference of the US Army Air Defense and Missile Defense Association.

Heiten noted that Russia, China and North Korea are threats of a different nature, which are developing at different rates, but the United States has to work with all these threats simultaneously.

“You can’t talk about a uniform situation, but as a country, we are still trying to work out a uniform response, although it doesn’t work that way,” said Heithen about confronting threats from America’s three main opponents.

Pentagon requested 686 has a budget of billions of dollars, one of the largest in American history, with a focus on neutralizing emerging threats from Russia and China.

The White House has not yet responded to a request to comment on the words of Heiten.

“The Korean problem is different from the Chinese problem and from the Russian problem. Everything we do with respect to Korea is reflected in China. Everything we do with China is reflected in Russia. Everything we do with Russia affects all others, ”said Heiten.

“I would like to see them as friends and partners, but when a weapon appears that is clearly created with the expectation of you, then as an officer and commander of the troops, I have no choice. I need to understand how to counter these threats, and I see them as threats, ”the head of the Strategic Command continued.

North Korea, being the only country to conduct nuclear tests in this century, is a special kind of threat, Heiten said.

“I think Korea is the most uncertain threat and the biggest threat in the short term, because we don’t know for sure how the situation will unfold this year,” the general said. “It seems that positive things are happening on the peninsula right now, but we will have to wait and see how everything will develop after the end of the Olympics.”

Heithen also touched on the threat of a potential war with North Korea.

“Anyone who wears a uniform does not want war. “We do not want war on this peninsula,” he said. “If you were there, then you know that you do not want to go this way.”

Heiten also noted that China, Pyongyang’s closest ally, poses a unique threat to the United States, because the pace of development of its space systems and combat potential is ahead of Russia and North Korea.

“If we talk about the pace, then no one in the world moves faster than China. China is the enemy that moves faster than the others, he said. “They are the fastest developing in space, they are the fastest developing in terms of hypersonic systems, they still lag behind the US in most categories, but they move fast.”

Recall that the day before Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov He accused US in preparing Europe for the use of nuclear weapons against Russia.