US vs Russia & China Together in Massive War .. Who Wins?

by Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

The prospect of a combined China-Russia threat to the US is becoming more realistic and concerning, according to the US Navy’s Fleet Forces Commander in charge of projecting power, conducting deterrence missions and ensuring safe passage of global waterways.

Should Russia and China combine forces to rival the US, a scenario which appears to be growing more likely, the US military might be challenged to prevail. It is a relevant question likely entertained by wargamers exploring the ominous prospect of a US and allied war against a united Russian-Chinese force.

US Navy Adm. Daryl Caudle, Commander US Fleet Forces, identified what he called a “no-limits relationships” between Russia and China marked by a rapid uptick in joint patrols, training exercises and large-scale military cooperation.

“Bombers from both Russia and China operated out of China then they flew a joint mission into the Philippine Sea towards Guam. In December, four Russian and two Chinese aircraft flew a joint military air patrol composed of H-6 and T-U-95 bombers and S-U-35 and J-16 fighters, which then entered the South Korean Air Defense Identification Zone then turned east toward Japan,” US Navy Fleet Forces Commander Adm. Daryl Caudle, told an audience at the 2024 Surface Navy Association Symposium.

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Russian and Chinese forces have been strengthening military-to-military cooperation in recent years as well, with senior commanders and weapons developers regularly visiting one another in pursuit of various collaborative efforts. Last Summer, Russia and China conducted joint maritime naval war exercises in the Sea of Japan.