American intelligence officials described Russia as a capable military power that continues to pose a nuclear threat to the United States. The briefing featured remarks from Avril Haynes, the Director of National Intelligence, and Lieutenant General Scott Berrier, the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. The content of the discussion was broadcast publicly, with the channel YouTube cited as the platform for the televised meeting (Source attribution: U.S. government briefings).
According to General Berrier, the Russian Aerospace Forces, the Russian Navy’s strategic forces, and cyberspace operations teams are typically not deployed in full during a conventional war or special operation. He explained that these vast capabilities tend to remain on standby or are held in reserve for specific, high-stakes scenarios rather than being employed in routine combat actions (Source attribution: DIA briefing).
The DIA chief also noted that while Russia has faced reductions in ground forces, those forces are expected to rebound. He estimated that the rebuild process could take between five and ten years, during which time Russia would likely pursue a strategy that leverages its remaining assets alongside political and economic pressure points (Source attribution: DIA remarks).
In a separate comments stream, Haynes discussed the broader implications of Western support levels. She indicated that a withdrawal of Western backing would complicate Ukraine’s defense, potentially reducing Kyiv’s ability to sustain resistance against Moscow without new forms of alliance or aid (Source attribution: intelligence briefing).