The National Security Podcast Sustaining deterrence and building defence industrial resilience
Oct 9, 2025
Seth G. Jones, a national security scholar and author focused on defense and strategy, discusses deepening China‑Russia‑Iran‑North Korea ties and the risk of multi‑theatre conflict. He covers allied readiness, munitions and stockpile shortfalls, co‑production benefits, AUKUS submarine deterrence, and fragile supply chains for critical minerals and long‑range logistics.
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Deepening China–Russia–Allies Axis
- China, Russia, North Korea and Iran are deepening military and industrial cooperation across trade, exercises, and co-production.
- This growing axis raises risk of coordinated support in multiple theaters and complicates deterrence.
Multi‑Theater Conflict Is Increasingly Likely
- Conflict can emerge across multiple theaters, making single-theater planning insufficient.
- The U.S. must prepare to deter or fight on two fronts, not just one-and-a-half.
Innovation Edge But Industrial Weakness
- The U.S. and Western firms retain high-end innovation but the industrial base struggles to sustain a protracted high‑intensity war.
- Shortages of munitions, long production lead times, workforce gaps, and low procurement share of defense budgets weaken deterrence.
