China is developing one of the greatest nuclear weapons forces in history while Russia will exploit every opportunity to undermine the US and its allies, according to the annual threat assessment by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.<\/p>\n
In a stark, declassified 31-page document, the report released late Monday by the House Intelligence Committee says Iran will continue to threaten American interests as it seeks to erode US influence in the Middle East. At the same time, North Korea is committed to expanding its nuclear arsenal and ballistic missile development, according to the assessment.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the coming year, the United States and its allies will face an increasingly complex and interconnected global security environment marked by the growing specter of great power competition and conflict, while collective, transnational threats to all nations and actors compete for our attention and finite resources,\u201d according to the document.<\/p>\n
The nation\u2019s top intelligence chiefs will present – and expand upon – the assessment when they testify before the House committee on Tuesday. Speakers will include Avril Haines, director of national intelligence; CIA chief William Burns; general Paul Nakasone, head of the National Security Agency; and FBI director Christopher Wray.<\/p>\n
The annual assessment represents a consensus among the nation\u2019s 17 intelligence agencies of major threats confronting the US, and is used by lawmakers and policy makers as a baseline to make critical decisions, advance legislation and craft budgets.<\/p>\n
The assessment is dated, however, as it was written before Russia invaded Ukraine last month and was based on information available as of Jan. 21. Lawmakers are certain to press the intelligence chiefs for the most current assessments and implications of Russia\u2019s invasion during Tuesday\u2019s hearing.<\/p>\n
Still, the assessment warns that Russia is determined to \u201cdominate Ukraine and other countries\u201d in the near term, while not wanting a direct conflict with American forces.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe assess that Moscow will continue to employ an array of tools to advance its own interests or undermine the interests of the United States and its allies,\u201d according to the assessment. \u201cWe expect Moscow to insert itself into crises when Russia\u2019s interests are at stake, the anticipated costs of action are low, or it sees an opportunity to capitalize on a power vacuum.\u201d<\/p>\n
The intelligence agencies assess that the Wagner Group and other private security companies managed by Russians close to the Kremlin \u201cextend Moscow\u2019s military reach at low cost in areas ranging from Syria to the Central African Republic and Mali, allowing Russia to disavow its involvement and distance itself from battlefield casualties.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Chinese Communist Party, on the other hand, \u201cwill work to press Taiwan on unification, undercut US influence, drive wedges between Washington and its partners, and foster some norms that favor its authoritarian system,\u201d according to the document.
\nChina\u2019s \u2018Nuclear Force Expansion\u2019<\/p>\n
China \u201cwill continue the largest-ever nuclear force expansion and arsenal diversification in its history,\u201d as Beijing isn\u2019t \u201cinterested in agreements that restrict its plans and will not agree to negotiations that lock in US or Russian advantages,\u201d according to US intelligence.<\/p>\n
China\u2019s efforts to control Taiwan – a self-governing island which Beijing claims as its territory – will probably ensure more disruptions to the global supply chains for semiconductor chips.<\/p>\n
\u201cChina will remain the top threat to US technological competitiveness as Beijing targets key sectors and proprietary commercial and military technology from US and allied companies and institutions,\u201d according to the document. And China \u201calmost certainly is capable of launching cyber attacks that would disrupt critical infrastructure services within the United States, including against oil and gas pipelines and rail systems.\u201d<\/p>\n
The statement disclosed that when it was launched by China last year, a hypersonic weapon designed to evade US defenses \u201cflew completely around the world and impacted inside China.\u201d The US originally labeled all details of the test highly classified.<\/p>\n
Other issues highlighted in the report include:<\/p>\n