Commenting on the remarks of James Mattis about the US military's "lack of readiness after four years of budget sequestration" and his concerns over Russia and China "challenging US military dominance," political analyst Dmitry Ofitserov-Belsky said that Washington is beginning to understand that its superiority is no longer a given fact, Sputnik reports.
Previously, the US defense chief noted that Russia and China are challenging the United States' military dominance with technological advances in sea, land and air weapons systems.
"The US is currently facing a really burning issue: the modernization of their weaponry. In spite of its huge spending on defense, and not only on the defense but on its offensives, the US Armed Forces are in serious need of modernization, which they haven't seen since the end of the Cold War," he told Sputnik.
"In other words," the political analyst said, "even though the US still poses itself as a number one military power, its military dominance is no longer evident."
He called the position of the Pentagon chief "in a way consistent" as he now reiterates what he had been saying upon his retirement.
"Mattis had been defending the need if not to increase, then at least halt the cut of military spending, which then-President Obama had been insisting on. This is exactly what President Donald Trump was pointing at during his election campaign," Dmitry Ofitserov-Belsky stated.
