Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine is the latest indication that the world is rapidly becoming more unstable, top Pentagon leaders said Tuesday, as they warned that the prospects of major conflict between the U.S. and other great powers such as China and Russia are increasing.
In testimony before a House panel, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark A. Milley said that he believes Russia‘s unprovoked attack on its neighbor Ukraine isn’t an isolated event. He offered a grim warning about the future of a democratic world order that is now facing its greatest threat in decades.
“Currently, we are supporting our European allies and guarding NATO’s eastern flank in the face of the unnecessary war of aggression by Russia against the people of Ukraine and the assault on the democratic institutions and the rules-based international order that have prevented great power war for the last 78 years, since the end of World War II,” Gen. Milley told the House Armed Services Committee.
“We are now facing two global powers, China and Russia, each with significant military capabilities, both who intend to fundamentally change the rules-based current global order,” he said. “We are entering a world that is becoming more unstable, and the potential for significant international conflict between great powers is increasing, not decreasing.”
“The Russian invasion of Ukraine is threatening to undermine not only European peace and stability, but global peace and stability that my parents and a generation of Americans fought so hard to defend,” Gen. Milley added.
Tuesday’s budget hearing was the first time the Pentagon’s top uniformed officer had testified extensively on Capitol Hill since the Russian invasion Feb. 24.
Lawmakers pressed the Defense Department leaders on not only Russia‘s aggression toward Ukraine but also the potential for a Chinese attack on Taiwan, which China‘s Communist leaders consider to be a breakaway territory.
Taken together, Gen. Milley and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made clear they believe that the threats posed by Russia and China mean the likelihood of major war is increasing.
“We’re trending toward greater instability,” Mr. Austin said.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly identified Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.