China, Russia Military Budgets Combined Exceed US Spending, Top General Says

China and Russia's combined military spending exceeds that of the United States when adjusted for purchasing power, which has allowed China to shorten capability gaps in its quest to become the top superpower by midcentury, the top U.S. military officer said Thursday.

"Combined, the Russian and Chinese budgets exceed our budgets if all the cards are put on the table," Joint Chiefs Chairman General Mark Milley told the Senate Armed Services Committee. He called China's increased spending trend "disturbing." China and Russia are the U.S. military's two biggest competitors. Defense secretaries from Jim Mattis to Lloyd Austin have identified China as the "pacing challenge" for the U.S. military. Senator Jim Inhofe, the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, wrote in a recent article that the Chinese defense budget was $604 billion when adjusted for purchasing power, and the Russian defense budget was about $200 billion after adjustments.