Joint Chiefs Nominee Calls Russia Greatest Threat to US National Security

— -- The nominee to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine General Joseph Dunford, rates Russia as the greatest threat to U.S. national security.

His comments are in line with those by current General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the recently released National Military Strategy.

“My assessment today is that Russia presents the greatest threat to our national security” Gen. Dunford told the Senate Armed Services Committee at his confirmation hearing this morning.

He explained that his assessment was based on Russia’s nuclear power as well as “the capability to violate the sovereignty of our allies and to do things that are inconsistent with our national interests but are in the process of doing."

“If you want to talk about a nation that could pose an existential to the us I’d have to point to Russia,” he added. “And if you look at their behavior it’s nothing short of alarming.”

Since last February, Russia has annexed Crimea from Ukraine and has sent Russian troops into eastern Ukraine to support Russian separatists. Those moves have sent U.S. and Russian relations to their lowest point since the end of the Cold War.

But Dunford also said that despite the challenges in the relationship with Russia it was important to maintain a good military to military relationship with Russia “to mitigate the risk of miscalculation.”

Dunford's comments echo those made over the past year by General Dempsey who has cited Russia as a top threat.

Last week, the Joint Staff released its latest National Military Strategy that said Russia " has repeatedly demonstrated that it does not respect the sovereignty of its neighbors and it is willing to use force to achieve its goals."

When he was later asked to rank other threats, like ISIS and North Korea, Dunford said he would place them in this order: Russia, China, North Korea and ISIS.

He also made clear that he was not indicating that those security issues had to be dealt with in that order or at the expense of others.

“All four of those issues are ones that require the department to look at and they all create a challenge that needs to be addressed,” he said.