While the annual US Defense Department report interestingly reflects some strong domestic resistance against military exchanges between the two countries, it is mostly a rehash of previous reports, seemingly put together in a hurry by an over-tasked Pentagon.

One of the primary responsibilities as president is to ensure the security of the United States as well as stability on a global level. To serve as a “threat minimizer” if you will. However, in the last five months, Trump’s clear disregard for these responsibilities only serves to further validate concerns about his qualifications to lead.

China-US military relations have reached another crossroads with Donald Trump as the new US president. Whether the two sides tend to have more competition and friction or more dialogue and cooperation will shape the two countries’ overall relationship in a major way.

Trump’s eagerness to boost the military’s role in his foreign strategy may well mean tougher positions or even adventurous moves in the South China Sea and on the DPRK nuclear issue, which will not only stimulate sensitive regional situations but also increase risks of an arms race or even confrontation with China.

An influential Washington think tank, the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA), released a new report, Restoring American Seapower – A Ne

China clearly has no intention to engage in a military competition with the U.S. — Beijing has slowed down its growth rate of defense spending while Washington is trying to increase it. Increasing military spending is entirely unnecessary if the U.S. is truly strengthening military and security cooperation with all other major powers in the world.

The People’s Liberation Army could become more powerful than the U.S. military. But not for the reasons you might think.

Despite China’s economic slowdown, the Chinese government has plans under its "Made in China 2025" program to spend $300 billion by 2025 to become self-sufficient in critical technologies and strategic emerging industries. U.S. unease at the size and opaqueness of China’s large military buildup are well-known. The latest developments will likely lead the Trump administration to continue efforts to reduce Russian defense technology transfers to China, sustain the EU arms embargo on China, and make U.S. weapons and other U.S. exports more competitive in global markets.

If the new president’s military and budget priorities don’t change, the U.S. is likely to lose the leverage it has with allies by underwriting their defense and to start a new arms race when a stronger U.S. military upends the current balance of power.

President Barack Obama came into office in 2009 with roughly 180,000 Americans fighting insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan. The 44th President of the United States was elected to put an end to the long war and reorient U.S. defense policy away towards smaller scale operations and “national building at home.” 8 years later, what will President Barack Obama’s war legacy be?