New strategy cites ‚growing threats‘ posed by China and Russia; Pentagon chief to visit Vietnam, Indonesia
On Friday, ahead of his trip this weekend to Asia, U. S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis unveiled a major shift in U. S. defense priorities.
„We will continue to prosecute the campaign against terrorists that we’re engaged in today, but great power competition, not terrorism, is now the primary focus of U. S. national security,“ Mattis said during a speech in Washington.
The U. S. defense chief was rolling out the Trump administration’s National Defense Strategy (NDS), a report that specifically cites „growing threats“ posed by China and Russia.
The NDS noted China is using „predatory economics“ to intimidate its neighbors, while „militarizing features in the South China Sea.“
Mattis‘ trip will take him to Indonesia and Vietnam, two countries that have taken a bolder stance – including modernizing their militaries – to push back on China’s disputed territorial claims in the sea.
