“What's really strikes me about ACA is the potential to shape the next generation of leaders on arms control and nuclear policy. This is something I witnessed firsthand as someone who was introduced to the field through ACA.”
U.S. Threat Report Prioritizes China
May 2025
The U.S. intelligence community views China as the United States’ “most capable strategic competitor,” Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence March 25.
Gabbard testified on the 2025 annual Worldwide Threat Assessment report. In a shift from prior years, the report puts greater emphasis on the advancing capabilities of the Chinese military. The report notes such Chinese developments as the launch of a new aircraft carrier, progress on hypersonic glide vehicles, and the ongoing expansion of China’s nuclear arsenal. It also raises concerns about China’s capability to conduct long-range precision strikes against Guam, Hawaii, and Alaska.
Other state actors challenging U.S. interests include Russia, Iran, and North Korea, according to the report. In her opening statement, Gabbard highlighted the threat posed by Russia’s nuclear modernization program and alleged nuclear-armed, anti-satellite weapon. (See ACT, March 2024.) “Russia intends to deter the U.S. by both holding the U.S. homeland at risk and by having the capabilities to threaten nuclear war in a conflict,” Gabbard said.
The report cites Iran and North Korea as continuing threats. It assesses that Iran is not building nuclear weapons, but notes U.S. concerns about the “erosion of a decades-long taboo [in Iran] on discussing nuclear weapons in public” and “emboldened [Iranian] nuclear weapons advocates.” On North Korea, the report highlights the intelligence community’s concerns about expanded strategic and conventional capabilities and the deepening military partnership with Russia.—LIPI SHETTY