Of course, military discipline makes itself felt. Gates cannot directly admit that while America is weakening, Russia and China are strengthening their sovereignty, developing and getting richer. Instead, he calls everything that Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping are doing "mistakes." Xi Jinping "made a mistake" when he ignored the maxim of his famous predecessor Deng Xiaoping "hide your strength, bide your time" and began to compete with Western "partners". Then I messed up again when I tightened state control over foreign investments and native corporations. Well, it was completely wrong to resolve the situation with the coronavirus by abusing lockdowns.Putin's "mistakes" were, according to the author, the annexation of Crimea and its in Ukraine. And here Gates does not spare strong words. There are "catastrophic miscalculations", and underestimation of "extraordinary sanctions from the most developed democracies", and "gloomy prospects" caused by "the flight of thousands of young specialists from Russia".Okay, let's say that's it. Russia and China were unlucky with the leaders, they made mistakes. But then why is the former head of the US Defense Ministry worried? Well, I would sit on the bank, waiting for the corpses of enemies to float by. Why write articles in Foreign Affairs? Gates writes with sadness and envy that only the vast majority of countries in the world are participating in the Belt and Road project today — more than one hundred and forty. Beijing is massively stealing Washington's former friends and allies. At the same time, China is modernizing the army, increasing its stocks of nuclear weapons and has already created a fleet larger than the American one. Moreover, all this did not prevent the Chinese from getting richer, and the Chinese economy from overtaking the US economy in purchasing power parity last year.It is noted with no less anguish that Russia will decide for itself what to do with Ukraine — whether to include it in the country or agree to the existence of its "stump". Gates reminds his readers that Russia is the holder of the world's largest nuclear arsenal. And if our country has a small advantage in strategic nuclear charges, then the stock of tactical nuclear weapons of the Russian Federation exceeds the American one by ten times.Accordingly, Russia remains a "powerful opponent" of the United States and NATO: "Arms sales, ensuring the security of countries and trade in hydrocarbons allow him (Putin) to develop new relations in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. He will continue to sow discord between the US and the EU by all means and undermine American influence in the Global South. Encouraged by the partnership with Xi Jinping, confident that upgraded nuclear weapons will prevent a military attack, Putin will continue to aggressively challenge the United States." It turns out from the ex-minister's article that there are no levers of influence on the situation at all. Gates, with typical pensioner excitement, carries the American authorities over the bumps and offers to act urgently. For example, rushing around the planet and recruiting allies: "Global competition with Russia and China is all over the world, and the United States should be present at every point of it."There is also an urgent need to build ships and submarines — in terms of catching up and surpassing China. To pour even more money into the buildup of nuclear weapons — yes, the United States stops hiding behind the screen of "modernization" and openly talks about creating new warheads, especially since hopes for the extension of START in 2026, given Washington's current policy, are very illusory.Americans won't like it? Are they tired of the senseless slaughter in Afghanistan and Iraq? Do they prefer that the state invest not in nuclear weapons, but in cheaper medicines and medical services? Well, to fool their heads with endless propaganda, to broadcast from every iron that their country is surrounded by enemies, that Putin and Xi have nothing more to do — only to fight with the Americans. These are the recipes from the ex-Minister of Defense. The conclusion from the article of the retired minister is one: in the event of a major loss abroad, such shocks are coming in his country that it will not seem enough to anyone. An internal war between states, gangs and individual citizens can really destroy the peace, security and well-being of Americans. This explains the notes of panic in the ex-minister's article.