Mattis Unveils New Strategy Focused on Russia and China, Takes Congress to Task for Budget Impasse by Dan Lamothe – Washington Post
The United States must build up its military to prepare for the possibility of conflict with Russia and China, according to a new Pentagon strategy released Friday by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis as he took Congress to task on the eve of a potential government shutdown for years of failing to reach budget deals.
Mattis unveiled the strategy Friday morning at Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, and described it as a “clear-eyed appraisal of our security environment with a keen eye of America’s place in the world.” It relies on a “fundamental precept” that Mattis states frequently: “America can afford survival.”
The new strategy mentions everything from operations in Afghanistan to countering “rogue nations” like North Korea, but places the heaviest emphasis on ensuring that the United States stays ahead of other world powers. It marks a shift from an approach that President Barack Obama’s administration used, which listed Russia, China, Iran, North Korea and terrorism on more equal footing as threats…