Defense Department’s perception of Russia must change, says national security expert

While the unclassified version of the National Defense Strategy is not yet public, the fact sheet that has been released raises questions about the strategy that will guide Pentagon policymaking.

• Barry Pavel, senior vice president and director of the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council and former special assistant to the president, said DoD has considered Russia a relatively low threat since the end of the Cold War but that this should change because Russian forces have the potential to be very damaging.
• He said the National Defense Strategy should emphasize clear prioritization and focus instead of trying to do everything.
• To defend against possible joint threats from Russia and China, the U.S. must implement force modernization, “radical transformation” of cooperation with allies and strengthening of nuclear capabilities, said Pavel.