By Yang Chengjun
For many years, the United States has been keen to rank the countries of the world in terms of military strength.
Recently, a US think tank has once again released the list of the "Top Five Military Powers in the World," that is, China, the United States, Israel, Russia, and France in sequence.
In this regard, Chinese experts on nuclear arms control pointed out the following purposes for the US ranking:
First, putting China first is very vicious, which is to whip up public opinion of the "China threat" Rhetoric.
As a veteran who has served for nearly 50 years, I feel that although we have taken some leaps on military development, we are still far away from being the No. 1 military power in the world.
Second, this is to deliberately degrade Russia’s military status. As we all know, at present, only Russia can be well-matched with the United States in terms of military strategic strength and capabilities. Through this move, the US merely wants to prove that Russia’s current leadership is incompetent and cannot continue to take power.
Third, placing Israel the third place, before Russia, is obviously an arrangement on purpose. As the main henchman of the United States and "the bully of the Middle East", Israel may maintain its own dominance in the Middle East by this ranking.
Fourth, France, a country with a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and an ally of the United States, ranks fifth. By doing so, the United States is trying to show the world that the United States and its allies still occupy the majority among the top five military powers in the world.
Fifth, this ranking by the US is to warn that the US opponents are still powerful and cannot be underestimated, and meanwhile, it confidently shows the international community that the United States still can control and dominate the world.
(The author is a senior researcher at the National Security Committee and a nuclear arms control expert)
