WASHINGTON, April 1. /TASS/. Russia, Iran, China and North Korea generally pursue similar goals, but they do not act as a bloc and do not seek to create a replica of NATO, said Dan Caine, President Donald Trump's nominee for chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
"Russia, China, Iran and the DPRK share broadly similar goals and transactionally cooperate at the bilateral - and sometimes trilateral - levels on arms sales, sanctions evasion, and limited military exercises. However, these countries are not acting as a bloc, nor are they trending toward a NATO-style alliance," he wrote in replies to members of US Congress ahead of a Congressional hearing to consider his candidacy.
Caine also spoke out on the deterrence of Russia.
"Russia very likely remains deterred from an overt military attack against the US or NATO. However, Moscow retains the ability and willingness to conduct asymmetric activity below what it assesses to be the threshold of military conflict," he said.
"Russia very likely is deterred by the US and NATO’s nuclear arsenal and the threat of direct military confrontation with the US and NATO. Russia’s threat perceptions almost certainly are driven by a belief that the US and broader West seek the strategic defeat of the Russian state. As such, Moscow views any actions by the US and broader West, especially those in the vicinity of Moscow’s perceived sphere of influence, as intended to undermine Russian interests," Caine wrote.
Caine retired from the armed forces last December with the rank of lieutenant general. According to US law, only a four-star general, which Caine is not, can be appointed chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but the US president has the right to waive this requirement in certain cases by executive order. If the Senate backs his nomination, Caine will be brought back to the military and will automatically become a four-star general.