Russia poses 'greatest threat' to US national security: Dunford: Russia now poses the greatest threat to US national security and its behavior is "nothing short of alarming," Marine General Joseph Dunford, the nominee to be the US military's top officer, said Thursday.
Dunford, currently the commandant of the US Marine Corps, told senators at his confirmation hearing it would be "reasonable" to provide lethal weapons to Ukrainian forces battling pro-Russian rebels.
But he also said that the Pentagon nevertheless needed to maintain some kind of "effective" military-to-military relationship with Moscow.
"Russia presents the greatest threat to our national security," Dunford, who is expected to replace General Martin Dempsey as chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
He stressed that Russia is a nuclear power that is capable of violating the sovereignty of US allies and doing "things inconsistent with national interests."
"If you want to talk about a nation that could pose a threat to the United States, I would have to point to Russia. If you look at their behavior, it's nothing short of alarming," Dunford said.
