America has many enemies. The world is quickly becoming less safe thanks to these adversaries.
And U.S. intelligence has released an ominous warning that details this massive foreign threat.
A New Axis of Adversaries: U.S. Faces Unified Threats from China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea
On March 25, the U.S. intelligence community unveiled a stark warning: America’s four primary geopolitical foes—China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia—are increasingly aligning their efforts to challenge U.S. dominance on the global stage. This revelation came in a detailed 30-page threat assessment from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), spotlighting a shifting world order where these nations are pooling their strengths to counter American interests.
China: The Cautious Giant
The report paints China as the most formidable player in this quartet, describing it as the “actor most capable of threatening US interests globally, though it is also more cautious than Russia, Iran, and North Korea about risking its economic and diplomatic image in the world by being too aggressive and disruptive.” Beijing’s strategy is multifaceted, relying on a blend of military muscle, economic leverage, and subtle influence campaigns to flex its power without tipping into outright war. The ODNI predicts that in 2025, China will ramp up pressure on Taiwan to push its unification agenda, while simultaneously asserting maritime claims in the South and East China Seas, putting U.S. allies like Japan and the Philippines in the crosshairs.
China’s ambitions don’t stop there. The report identifies it as the “most active and persistent” cyber-threat to both the U.S. government and private sector, with a clear goal: to overtake the United States as the world’s leading artificial intelligence powerhouse by 2030. China “almost certainly has a multifaceted, national-level strategy” to achieve this, the assessment warns.
Russia: A Nuclear Resurgence and Unyielding Ambition
While China plays a long game, Russia is doubling down on immediate power plays. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told lawmakers on Tuesday that Moscow is fast-tracking the development of a “more modern and survivable nuclear force designed to circumvent US missile defense.” This escalation comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin digs in for a prolonged conflict in Ukraine, viewing it as a “proxy conflict with the West.”
“Putin appears resolved and prepared to pay a very high price to prevail in what he sees as a defining time in Russia’s strategic competition with the United States, world history, and his personal legacy,” the ODNI assessment states. Despite the war’s toll, the report notes that “most Russian people continue to passively accept the war,” reducing the likelihood of a credible challenge to Putin’s decades-long rule.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe added a sobering observation: “Russia has the battlefield advantage [and] is grinding forward slowly” in Ukraine, while praising the resilience of Ukrainian forces, who “will fight with their bare hands if they have to” for a just peace.
A Web of Mutual Support
The ODNI report highlights a troubling trend: these four adversaries are not acting in isolation. Russia’s war in Ukraine has become a proving ground for their cooperation. “[China] is providing economic and security assistance to Russia’s war in Ukraine through support to Moscow’s defense industrial base, including by providing dual-use material and components for weapons,” the report reveals. This aid has bolstered Russia’s ability to sustain its military campaign and weather U.S. sanctions.
Iran, meanwhile, has emerged as a vital arms supplier, delivering drones to Russia in exchange for military and technical know-how that enhances Tehran’s own capabilities. North Korea has gone further, shipping munitions, missiles, and even combat troops to aid Russia’s efforts. Gabbard noted that Pyongyang’s deepening ties with Moscow have lessened its reliance on China, granting it “stronger strategic and conventional capabilities” to confront the U.S.
Iran’s Nuclear Ambiguity
Iran presents a complex picture. Gabbard reassured senators that Tehran “is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader [Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003.” Yet, she cautioned that “Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile is at its highest levels and is unprecedented for a state without nuclear weapons.” The report suggests a shifting internal dynamic, with “an erosion of a decades-long taboo on discussing nuclear weapons in public” fueling advocates within Iran’s leadership. While Khamenei holds the final say, Iran’s ongoing work on “chemical and biological agents” for military use—particularly incapacitating chemicals—adds another layer of concern.
Beyond State Actors
The threats aren’t limited to nation-states. Gabbard highlighted the growing danger from “cartels, gangs and other transnational criminal organizations,” which are flooding the U.S. with synthetic opioids like fentanyl. She cited a staggering statistic: “For a year-long period ending in October 2024, cartels were largely responsible for the deaths of more than 54,000 US citizens.” Mexico-based groups bear much of the blame, though Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) questioned why Canada—a focus of the Trump administration’s anti-fentanyl efforts—was absent from the report.
The assessment also flagged a resurgent terror threat in the Western Hemisphere, spurred by a deadly ISIS-inspired attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Eve that claimed 15 lives. This incident has refocused attention on foreign-based extremist groups.
A Senate Wake-Up Call
The report’s release coincided with a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, where Chairman Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) sounded the alarm. “Many of the threats we face are truly existential,” he said. “Communist China is actively working to replace the United States as the world’s dominant superpower.” Cotton questioned whether U.S. intelligence agencies are equipped to counter these challenges, admitting, “I’m afraid the answer is no, at least not yet.”
What’s Missing?
One notable omission from this year’s assessment was climate change, a fixture in prior reports. Gabbard expressed uncertainty about who removed it, emphasizing that she hadn’t ordered the change herself.
As America confronts this evolving coalition of adversaries—state and non-state alike—the ODNI’s findings paint a picture of a nation at a crossroads, grappling with rivals determined to reshape the global landscape in their favor.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
