Russia is the No. 1 threat to the United States, the US Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said at the annual Reagan National Defense Forum.
"We have a number of threats that we're dealing with, but Russia could be, because of the nuclear aspect, an existential threat to the United States," she told Reuters in an interview.
Pentagon chief arms buyer Frank Kendall said the US policy had been centered on threats in the Asia-Pacific region and Middle East, but was now focused more on Russia. "Their behavior has caused us to rethink the balance of capabilities that we're going to need," he said.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford told the conference that Russia's goal was to counter NATO, undermine its credibility and limit the ability of the US military to project power around the world.
