Dunford warns that Russia, China are near-peer military competition
Nov. 7 (UPI) -- Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told an audience at Duke University that Russia and China are near-peer competitors that the U.S. needs to match, according to the Pentagon. In comments on Tuesday, Dunford said that China's rise and Russia's resurgent activities mark the return of great power military competition even as the U.S. continues to face concerns from Iran, North Korea and rogue militant groups and terrorism. The concern is real, as Secretary of Defense James Mattis told Congress in February that the U.S. military's "competitive edge has eroded in every domain of warfare." The Government Accountability Office in October said in a report that "nearly all" weapons systems of the military under development in the last five years have criti...