U.S. Navy Admiral Samuel Paparo recently issued a number of warnings about China and North Korea during an appearance at a security forum, including how Russia could help Beijing reduce American naval domination.

“I expect Russia to provide the PRC with underwater technology that has the potential to end U.S. submarine dominance over the PRC,” said Paparo, who heads the U.S. Defense Command. Indo-Pacific (INDOPACOM), during an appearance Saturday at the Halifax International Security Forum. .

He also suggested that Russia could extend this assistance to North Korea, providing submarine technology as well as missiles to Pyongyang.

China remains the main “pace challenge” for the Pentagonmeaning that of all the rivals the United States monitors, China has managed to close the power gap far more easily than any other.

Earlier this week, Paparo described the Indo-Pacific theater as the “most stressful theater” due to the quantity and quality of munitions needed to counter China.

“The closer we get to it, the less relevant this date is,” he said, referring to the highly controversial and speculated invasion of Taiwan, which China spent years preparing to execute. “We must be ready today, tomorrow, next month, next year and beyond.”

“The way to control unintentional escalation is to improve one’s understanding of the strategic environment or the tactical environment,” Paparo added, noting that “playing chicken on the high seas… doesn’t keep me up at night.” night”, according to Air and Space Forces Magazine.

News week contacted the Pentagon, INDOPACOM and the Chinese and Russian foreign ministries by email Saturday afternoon for comment.

Mark Montgomery, retired Rear Admiral and senior director of the Center on Cyber ​​and Technology Innovation (CCTI) and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracy (FDD), said: News week by telephone on Saturday that Russian submarines have several advantageous technological capabilities— mainly, silent technology, which makes detection difficult.

“There is underwater silencer technology, some of their underwater combat systems technology, our second best in the world, or third best, if you include the United Kingdom. But behind the United States, it “There is a significant gap between Russian and Chinese submarine technology,” Montgomery said.

He noted that while it seems like a gamble for Russia to strengthen China’s submarines, knowing that it could remove some influence between the two countries in terms of military power in the future, “this most disturbs the UNITED STATES”.

“Put it this way: Would Putin be comfortable doing something that he knows will really piss off the United States? My answer is yes. He’s very angry with us now. He thinks that we should follow the big country/small country model and step back and not help Ukraine,” Montgomery said.

He added: “I say it’s a calculated risk: I’m going to sacrifice a little bit of my influence over China going forward… in terms of military influence, or leverage in terms of whatever thing I can trade them in the future which I now have to face I will sacrifice some of my influence to get the support I need to maintain the advantage against Ukraine in the West in this competition. »

Paparo’s comments on Saturday address this additional issue that the United States has highlighted in recent years, namely growing cooperation between China and Russia as a means of countering U.S. influence and military power in the international security landscape.

Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, China agreed to buy around 100 million tonnes of coal for the “years to come,” providing an economic lifeline to Russia as it was hit by sanctions on everything from its economy to its energy trade.

The historic agreement precipitated deeper economic cooperation, with the two world powers redoubling their commitment to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), organized and led by Beijing, and the BRICS economic bloc.

The BRICS, formed between Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, sought to expand membership by inviting countries like Iran, Egypt, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

Analysts view the BRICS summit as a strategic move by Moscow aimed at strengthening ties with the South amid escalating tensions with the West.