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With tensions high over Syria and increasing attacks from terrorists, the threat of war is never far away.

And now, US military bosses have revealed how they think a war between the world's most powerful countries would play out.

They say the threat from Russia, the growing military strength of China and climate change could be factors which lead America into World War Three.

And they say any future conflict would be “extremely lethal and fast” with a war between two powerful countries “almost guaranteed”.

Countries will increasingly rely on technology, using smart weapons and artificial intelligence.

The terrifying outcome was predicted by Maj.Gen.William Hix at the annual meeting of the Association of the US Army in Washington.

(Image: Getty)

As reported by Defence One, he said: "A conventional conflict in the near future will be extremely lethal and fast, and we will not own the stopwatch.

"The speed of events are likely to strain our human abilities."

He said China and Russia are building huge armies which rely increasingly on technology.

And he admitted this is forcing military chiefs to prepare for “violence on the scale that the US Army has not seen since Korea".

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Worryingly, Army Chief of Staff Gen Mark A Milley said that a war between nation states “is almost guaranteed” in the future.

As reported by Mail Online, he said army strategists must be prepared for cyber warfare and fight in urban areas.

It comes after reports this week that Russia has started preparing its citizens for a 'nuclear war' with the West as tensions mount over Syria.

The country’s media and officials have claimed the West wants to launch an attack on Russia because of its intervention in Syria.

(Image: Getty)

Officials announced on Friday underground shelters had been built which could provide shelter for Moscow’s 12 million people in the event of an attack.

A headline in Zvezda, a defence ministry TV channel last week read: “schizophrenics from America are sharpening nuclear weapons for Moscow.”

Tensions remain high between Russia and America over the devastating civil war in Syria.

Russian bombing over the past week has devastated the Syrian city of Aleppo

The city has been under assault from forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad for a week, including Russia.

The Syrian military and its allies are attempting to capture rebel-held districts of eastern Aleppo which are still serving as home to more than 250,000 people.

Russia warned at the weekend that the US would face "terrible, tectonic" consequences if it took military action against the Syrian regime, The Times reported.

Russia has the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world with 8,400 warheads compared to 7,500 in America.