Clare Dauson wrote:
Following the release of a report by the US Strategic Research Institute, Russia began to be rated as the “most real military threat” to the United States. China is now called the "most comprehensive threat." What kind of aggressive and threatening acts of the two countries is meant is not clear. However, it became known about the American development of 6.8 mm caliber bullets, that should replace the NATO 5.56 mm caliber bullets. It is weird that the development began after the publication of information about new Russian and Chinese bulletproof vests, that are resistant to the 5.56 mm bullets. So whom is aggression actually coming from and who is preparing for war?
The history of war is also the history of trying to get an advantage. That's been happening for millennia.
The Defense Dept keeps a lot of people employed trying to guess the future. If you decide conflict with a country is a growing possibility, you need to be ready for that eventuality. America got caught with it's pants down in WW2, and avoiding that is part of it's institutional DNA.
All of which dodges your concern, which is a valid one. I would put it this way: How can we avoid a serious war?
China is on the way up, while we are on our way down. China is becoming the regional hegemon. It's happening faster thanks to Trump, but it's inevitable. Finding a way through that transition without military conflict is quite tricky.
But it's worth trying. The first step, after Trump is gone, is trying to recreate our alliances in the Pacific.