WITH RAGING WARS AND AN ADDLED PRESIDENT, IT’S A PERILOUS MOMENT. Navy Adm. Samuel Paparo is head of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. In Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, he took part in a discussion at the liberal Brookings Institution. Paparo discussed at length the military strength of China — he called it “the most capable potential adversary in the world” — and the challenges facing the United States in countering China’s power in the region.

Paparo also addressed the growing costs of U.S. support of Ukraine, in its war with Russia, and Israel, in its war with Hamas and related organizations. This is from a report in the Defense Department publication defense.gov: