Say you had just awoken from a long slumber and glanced at today’s headlines. You would conclude, no doubt, that Iran and North Korea are America’s greatest security threats. The attention those admittedly malign nations receive from the Trump administration surpasses all other adversaries or potential adversaries. In reality, though, Iran and North Korea are second-tier challenges, unlikely to strike directly at vital U.S. national interests.
Russia is more worrisome, given its recent and continuing political meddling against the United States and President Donald Trump’s perplexing lack of concern with its attacks on American elections. Ultimately, though, Russia is devious but weak. It punches above its weight in global security because the United States allows it to. Future presidents are likely to take Russia more seriously and deal with it.
That leaves China as “the greatest, growing threat to America,” as Axios recently put it. But while the Department of Defense is, in fact, focused on the challenge from China, the White House remains surprisingly complacent. This is a dangerous situation that distorts America’s security priorities.