{"id":63703,"date":"2020-02-13T23:48:07","date_gmt":"2020-02-13T23:48:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/02\/13\/while-us-worries-about-china-europe-stays-focused-on-russia\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T12:17:50","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T12:17:50","slug":"while-us-worries-about-china-europe-stays-focused-on-russia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2020\/02\/13\/while-us-worries-about-china-europe-stays-focused-on-russia\/","title":{"rendered":"While US worries about China, Europe stays focused on Russia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BRUSSELS \u2014 China and its increasingly sophisticated and far-flung military sit atop U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper\u2019s list of international security worries, but in Europe a bigger concern is closer to home: Russia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Trump administration has been trying since 2018 to reorient its defense strategy toward China, with reduced focus, when possible, on Russia and the years-long insurgency wars in the greater Middle East. Russia remains a U.S. worry, but Esper and other administration officials want the allies to see China as Washington does \u2013 as a far <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2020\/01\/16\/congress-wrestles-with-deterring-chinabeyond-nukes\/\" target=\"_blank\">more capable adversary<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">China was not on the formal agenda when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2020\/02\/13\/nato-eyes-boosting-iraq-army-training-still-needs-iraqs-ok\/\" target=\"_blank\">Esper met with allies at NATO headquarters <\/a>Wednesday and Thursday, but he made a point of publicly expressing American concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019ve raised it every time I\u2019ve been here, about the \u2018great power\u2019 competition with China and Russia \u2014 but China in particular,\u201d he told reporters. <\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/land\/2020\/02\/04\/us-army-wants-to-expand-prepositioned-stock-in-pacific\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/PacificPathwaysGaruda.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">US Army wants to expand pre-positioned stock in Pacific<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">As operations increase in the Indo-Pacific region, the Army&#039;s pre-positioned stocks will grow.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NATO\u2019s emphasis on Russia over China reflects the alliance\u2019s 71-year history. Throughout that time, it has been focused mainly on Russia and the former Soviet Union. And NATO nations \u2014 especially those on Russia\u2019s eastern flank \u2014 have grown warier of Moscow since its takeover of Crimea in 2014 and its incursion into eastern Ukraine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More recently, Russian President Vladimir Putin has trumpeted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2019\/12\/24\/putin-says-russia-is-leading-world-in-hypersonic-weapons\/\" target=\"_blank\">his nation\u2019s pioneering development of futuristic weaponry<\/a>, calling into question the effectiveness of U.S. defenses and raising the possibility of a new arms race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">European allies have also been uneasy with President Donald Trump\u2019s approach to Russia. Trump\u2019s warm words for Putin, his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2018\/07\/16\/trump-questions-us-intel-not-putin-on-russia-2016-meddling\/\" target=\"_blank\">resistance to accepting intelligence findings of Russian interference<\/a> in U.S. elections and his desire to withdraw U.S. troops from areas, like Syria, where Moscow could fill the vacuum have caused distress within NATO. Trump\u2019s decision to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/02\/13\/john-kelly-says-vindman-did-the-right-thing-about-trump-zelensky-call-trump-hits-back-on-twitter\/\" target=\"_blank\">delay military aid to Ukraine<\/a> last year was at the core of impeachment proceedings that ended in the president\u2019s acquittal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1767\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20044478895807.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"Esper, Hutchison, NATO\" class=\"wp-image-99839\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20044478895807.jpg.jpg 2500w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20044478895807.jpg.jpg?resize=300,212 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20044478895807.jpg.jpg?resize=768,543 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20044478895807.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,724 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20044478895807.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1086 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20044478895807.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1448 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">U.S. Secretary for Defense Mark Esper, right, speaks with U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison during a meeting of the Resolute Support Mission at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020. (Virginia Mayo\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Trump administration, meanwhile, sees Europe as slow to respond to threats posed by China. It worries that China\u2019s economic engine is driving it to greater international influence, not just on the military front but also in global trade, in space and in technological advances. Russia, by contrast, is seen by the U.S. administration as a second-rate power, albeit with a huge nuclear force. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump\u2019s national security adviser, Robert O\u2019Brien, recently touched on this China-Russia distinction in describing the administration\u2019s interest in nuclear arms control talks that include China as well as Russia. Trump has said his priority is an arms control deal that would include China for the first time, though China has not publicly expressed an interest in such negotiations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cCandidly speaking, the Chinese are better prepared to have an arms race and to do what they want than the Russians ever were,\u201d O\u2019Brien said at the Atlantic Council this week. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered his own beware-of-China message during a recent trip to Europe and Central Asia. He denounced China\u2019s human rights record, criticized its aggressive trade practices and urged his hosts to be wary of Chinese investment and influence. He warned that China\u2019s tech giant Hauwei poses a risk as countries develop next-generation, high-speed wireless networks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Trump administration has cast Huawei as a de facto arm of the Chinese government that could <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2020\/02\/04\/huawei-us-lawmakers-urge-uk-parliament-to-reject-dangerous-5g-decision\/\" target=_blank>enable global espionage<\/a> through its 5G networks. Huawei has denied these allegations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Esper told reporters Thursday that \u201cNATO allies must carefully consider the long-term risks of the economic and commercial choices they make.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAt the end of the day, Chinese telecom firms have a legal obligation to provide \u2018technical support and assistance\u2019 to the Communist Party, and that concerns us deeply,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NATO hasn\u2019t completely ignored China. Last December, for the first time, NATO leaders agreed they must as a group consider the implications for their security of China\u2019s rise to economic and military prominence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe recognize that China\u2019s growing influence and international policies present both opportunities and challenges that we need to address together as an alliance,\u201d the leaders said in a statement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But they have said and done little about China since. Instead, at this week\u2019s NATO defense ministers meeting, competition with Russia was high on the agenda, including talks aimed at fashioning a NATO response to Moscow\u2019s deployment of nuclear-capable cruise missiles within reach of many allied countries. That deployment was the Trump administration\u2019s stated rationale for<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/08\/02\/landmark-us-russia-arms-control-treaty-is-dead\/\" target=_blank> withdrawing last year from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moscow also says it has begun deploying a hypersonic glide vehicle, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/12\/28\/russia-new-weapon-can-travel-27-times-the-speed-of-sound\/\" target=_blank>called the Avangard<\/a>, that poses new challenges for the U.S. as well as Europe because of the weapon\u2019s greater capacity for evading missile defenses. Russia also has announced intentions to deploy a nuclear-powered cruise missile, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/08\/13\/russia-orders-evacuation-near-navy-nuke-site-then-cancels-it\/\" target=_blank>known in the West as Skyfall<\/a>, that could be nuclear armed and that Moscow says will have nearly unlimited range. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"7360\" height=\"4912\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/200116-F-BT441-9109.JPG.jpg\" alt=\"Defender\" class=\"wp-image-10674\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/200116-F-BT441-9109.JPG.jpg 7360w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/200116-F-BT441-9109.JPG.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/200116-F-BT441-9109.JPG.jpg?resize=768,513 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/200116-F-BT441-9109.JPG.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/200116-F-BT441-9109.JPG.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/200116-F-BT441-9109.JPG.jpg?resize=2048,1367 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 7360px) 100vw, 7360px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Staff Sgt. Dwight Stalter, 435th Security Forces Squadron contingency response team leader, holds security during exercise Frozen Defender in Grostenquin, France, Jan. 16, 2020. (Staff Sgt. Devin Nothstine\/Air Force)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Trump administration remains committed to Europe\u2019s defense, as evidenced by U.S. participation this month in a NATO-led exercise, \u201cDefender Europe 20,\u201d the largest deployment of U.S.-based forces to Europe in 25 years. But in the 2021 budget presented to Congress this week, the Pentagon proposed cutting spending on its European Deterrence Initiative, meant to demonstrate U.S. resolve, to $4.5 billion from this year\u2019s $6 billion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The allies also are concerned about the possibility that the Trump administration will not take Moscow up on its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2019\/12\/06\/putin-offers-us-an-immediate-extension-to-key-nuclear-pact\/\" target=_blank>offer to extend the New START treaty<\/a>, which governs the number of U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear weapons, before it expires next February. In addition, some European officials have questioned the wisdom of an American decision to deploy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2020\/02\/05\/russia-voices-concern-over-new-us-nuclear-weapon\/\" target=_blank>a submarine-launched missile armed with a lower-yield nuclear warhead<\/a>. Washington argues that it counters a Russian strategy for the potential use of battlefield nuclear weapons in Europe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Europe and North America aren\u2019t NATO\u2019s only areas of interest. The organization has been contributing troops and other resources to the U.S.-led conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan for years, and it also has conducted combat air operations in Libya. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his review of Wednesday\u2019s first rounds of discussions among defense ministers, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said they had agreed to explore what more the alliance can do to combat extremists in the Mideast and North Africa. They also discussed the war in Afghanistan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He made no mention of China. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Associated Press reporter Lorne Cook contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>China and its increasingly sophisticated and far-flung military sit atop U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper\u2019s list of international security worries, but in Europe a bigger concern is closer to home: Russia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":99837,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":12,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,8,23,89,12,26,62],"tags":[],"coauthors":[2484],"class_list":["post-63703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"RAQJY4N4QNHXZH2X46BJ4SLN6I","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-military\/2020\/02\/13\/while-us-worries-about-china-europe-stays-focused-on-russia\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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