How will the US counter and respond to a combined threat from Russia and China? Will the European allies come to rescue in case of a direct conflict with Russia and China? Why is NATO so worried about Zapad-2017 Russian-Belarusian military exercise?
According to RAND think tank, the US may lose a possible military conflict with Russia in Europe or with China in Taiwan. The report, submitted by the US-based policy think tank, is headlined “U.S. Military Capabilities and Forces for a Dangerous World.” According to the report, the combined strength of two nations – Russia and China – have drastically advanced so much that it is possible under certain circumstances that they could have a military edge over the US.
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“Providing the military power called for by the United States’ ambitious national security strategy, which has never been easy, has recently become considerably more challenging,” the report reads. “The concurrence of this new reality with a period of restrained defense budgets has led to a position in which it is now far from apparent that our military strength is sufficient for the responsibilities being placed before them.”
“The report concludes that in the current scenario NATO cannot guarantee the security of Baltic states against a sudden and resolute Russian attack.
In case of China, the US will have a difficult time protecting Taiwan, if Beijing decides to invade and re-conquer the breakaway island. Moreover, China has been scrutinizing previous US defense drills to come up with a counter-strategy.
Zapad 2017 Military Drills
Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry rubbished the “unprecedented frenzy in European media” about Russia’s Zapad-2017 military drills, particularly in the Baltic states and Poland.
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said NATO’s accusations about the Zapad-2017 Russian-Belarusian military exercises being offensive are baseless. In fact, NATO stationed troops in the Eastern Europe indicating the so-called Russian intimidation. NATO also accused that the Zapad-2017 Russian-Belarusian military exercise has been aimed at preparing for an invasion against the Baltic States, which are absolutely false and mere assumptions, added Lavrov.
