China poses greatest military, cyber threat to US security, report warns

By Tony Wesolowsky | 2025-03-27

China remains the top military and cyber threat to the United States, with the aim of overtaking its rival as the top artificial intelligence power by 2030, a report by US intelligence agencies found.

China now has the ability to strike the United States with conventional weapons or compromise its infrastructure through cyber attacks, as well as strike US assets in space, according to the Annual Threat Assessment published on March 25.

"The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is fielding a joint force that is capable of full-spectrum warfare to challenge intervention by the United States in a regional contingency, projecting power globally, and securing what Beijing claims is its sovereign territory," the report stated.

Furthermore, China is making "steady but uneven" progress on capabilities it could exploit to seize Taiwan.

"In 2025, Beijing will likely apply stronger coercive pressure against Taiwan and perceived increases in US support to the island to further its goal of eventual unification," the report predicted.

In the space race, China now is the main competitor to the United States, the report concludes.

"China has eclipsed Russia as a space leader and is poised to compete with the United States as the world's leader in space by deploying increasingly capable interconnected multi-sensor systems and working toward ambitious scientific and strategic goals," the report said.

China was likely to use large language models to create disinformation, imitate various personae and enable attack networks, it added.

Worldwide threats

Additionally, the report noted Russia's alliance with China, Iran and North Korea as strategic efforts to counter US influence globally.

On Russia, the report highlighted Russia's advanced nuclear arsenal and its ongoing cyber operations targeting US interests.

Even though it suffered heavy battlefield losses from its invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has gained significant leverage, prompting concerns over Kyiv's battlefield position, it added.

On Iran, the report said Tehran continues to project power in the Middle East via proxy groups and involvement in regional conflicts.

It maintains its nuclear ambitions, with enriched uranium levels remaining high even though Tehran claims it has not restarted its nuclear weapon program, the assessment noted. It pointed out internal pressures within Iran that could influence its future actions.

On North Korea, the report said Pyongyang's pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and provocative actions, such as missile tests, represent a risk to regional security and increase tensions.

The assessment stressed the challenges in denuclearizing the Korean peninsula and the need for continued diplomacy to manage such risks.