US Army Must be Prepared to Fight High-End Russian Aggression

US army must be prepared to face the high-end and advanced combat power of an aggressive Russia, according to acting Army Secretary Patrick Murphy.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — A critical element of US Army readiness is preparing to fight against Russian combat forces, acting Army Secretary Patrick Murphy told the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee on Wednesday.

"Our army must be prepared to face the high-end and advanced combat power of an aggressive Russia, or more likely, Russian aggression employed by surrogate actors," Murphy stated.

In a requested 2017 budget of $121.5 billion, the Army Secretary warned that the service is "mortgaging future readiness" to fight a high-end adversary in order to maintain current readiness so as to continue the fight against terrorism.

Department of Defense officials have increasingly raised concerns over what they have deemed is Russian aggression.

Russia has repeatedly refuted the accusations of aggression and characterized as unacceptable such attempts to portray the country as an enemy. Moreover, Moscow has warned that US and NATO amassing of military personnel and equipment on Russia’s borders is provocative and contrary to previously reached agreements, and can cause regional and global destabilization.