The U.S. intelligence community's Annual Threat Assessment identifies China as the primary military and cyber threat to the United States. The report, released recently, indicates that Beijing is making constant progress on military capabilities that could be utilized in a potential conflict over Taiwan.
According to the report, China is equipped to strike the U.S. with conventional weapons, compromise its infrastructure through cyber-attacks, and target its assets in space. Additionally, China aims to surpass the U.S. as the leading power in artificial intelligence by 2030. Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence, emphasized that China’s military is advancing in key areas, including hypersonic weapons and cyber warfare technologies.
The assessment also notes that Russia, Iran, and North Korea are collaborating to challenge U.S. interests globally. It highlights that Russia's conflict in Ukraine offers valuable insights into countering Western military strategies and technologies.
Furthermore, the report states that Iran is enhancing its missile and drone capabilities while not currently pursuing a nuclear weapon. Iran maintains the largest stockpiles of missiles in the Middle East and has the capacity to disrupt shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The report also addresses concerns about extremist groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS-K, which they claim continue to pose security challenges, albeit with varying levels of influence and operational capability.