Biden approves national security memo aimed at helping Trump on China, Iran, North Korea and Russia
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has approved a new national security memorandum aimed at providing a roadmap for the new Trump administration as it seeks to counter it. growing cooperation among China, Iran, North Korea and Russia, the White House said Wednesday.
Biden administration officials began developing the guidelines this summer. It was designed as a document that could help the next administration develop from day one its approach to how it will handle the increasingly close relationships among the United States’ most prominent adversaries and competitors, two senior administration officials said.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity under White House ground rules, said the secret memorandum would not be made public because of the sensitivity of some of the findings.
The document contains four broad recommendations: improving cooperation among U.S. governments, accelerating information sharing with allies on the four adversaries, tailoring the U.S. government’s use of sanctions and other economic tools for maximum effectiveness, and strengthening preparedness to manage concurrent crises involving the U.S. government. opponents.
The US has been concerned about cooperation between the four countries for years. In the wake of the crisis, coordination between countries has accelerated The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The officials noted that as Russia has become more isolated by much of the world, Moscow has turned to Iran for drones and rockets. The Russians have received artillery, rockets and rockets from North Korea even thousands of troops who have traveled to assist the Russians in expelling Ukrainian forces from the Kursk region. China, meanwhile, has supported Russia dual-use components which help keep the military industrial base afloat.
In return, Russia sent fighter jets to Iran and assisted Tehran in strengthening its missile defense and space technology.
North Korea has received much-needed fuel and financing from Russia to help build its manufacturing and military capabilities. The officials added that Russia has “de facto accepted North Korea as a nuclear weapons state.”
China, meanwhile, is benefiting from Russian know-how, with the two countries working together to deepen their military-technical cooperation. The two countries also conduct joint patrols in the Arctic.
Biden and President-elect Donald Trump have starkly different worldviews, but officials in both the incoming and outgoing administrations said they have tried to coordinate on national security issues during the transition.