US Air Force chief: War with Russia or China can happen at any time

U.S. Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall has warned that a war between the United States and Russia or China is not unlikely and could happen "at any time." 

Kendall's remarks, delivered during a speech to cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy on November 12, reflect growing concerns over the increasingly aligned positions of Russia and China, two of the nine nuclear-armed nations, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

The warning comes as the White House continues to prioritize maintaining a competitive edge over China while attempting to constrain the threat posed by Russia. Kendall emphasized the urgency of preparing for potential conflict, saying, "War with China or Russia is not unlikely, it can happen at any time."

Preparing for the "next war"

Kendall underscored his key objective as head of the Department of the Air Force: to "instill a sense of urgency" in preparing for the next war. He pointed to China's growing military capabilities in the Western Pacific, particularly in areas like Taiwan and the South China Sea, where Beijing's interests directly conflict with U.S. priorities. "China has weapons designed to defeat the U.S. forces in the Western Pacific Ocean, including Taiwan and the South China Sea, which are its high national priorities," he added.

The growing tensions in the Indo-Pacific were further highlighted by Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of U.S. military forces in the region, who warned that U.S. forces "must be ready" following China’s largest invasion rehearsal around Taiwan, a self-ruled island that Beijing claims as its territory.

Nuclear threats and Russia's aggression

Kendall also addressed the nuclear threat, particularly highlighting Russia's increased reliance on nuclear weapons and China's rapidly growing nuclear arsenal. He remarked, "The potential for nuclear weapon use became as real as I've ever experienced" during Russia’s confrontations with Ukraine. He warned that cadets will eventually have the responsibility of preventing "the greatest imaginable catastrophe in human history."

"The thinking that nuclear powers would not go to war between themselves because they had not done so in the past is very dangerous," Kendall cautioned, acknowledging that when the Soviet Union dissolved, he naively hoped it marked the end of nuclear conflict. "The threat of nuclear war has returned, in what may be even more dangerous forms," he added.

Modernizing nuclear deterrence

Kendall's comments align with broader U.S. defence strategies, with the Pentagon recently announcing an adjustment to its nuclear deterrence strategy. This update aims to address the emerging challenge of deterring "multiple nuclear-armed adversaries" simultaneously.

Melissa Dalton, Kendall's deputy, echoed this urgency earlier in September, urging the nation to "move at full speed" to modernize its nuclear capabilities. She noted that the U.S. is now facing "two strategic competitors that are nuclear states with large and growing nuclear arsenals" for the first time in history.

Global nuclear landscape

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Russia and the U.S. possess nearly 90 per cent of the world’s nuclear weapons, with 5,580 and 5,044 warheads, respectively. China's nuclear stockpile is the third-largest globally, with an estimated 500 warheads.

While Kendall stressed that war with Russia or China is not inevitable, he emphasized the importance of readiness: "Deterrence, which remains the goal of the U.S., will succeed only if we are ready for war." He told the cadets that their mission will be to ensure deterrence is successful, and to be prepared to secure victory if deterrence fails.

By Khagan Isayev