The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff singled out Russia as “the most significant threat in cyberspace,” a warning he gave in testimony during a reappointment hearing Tuesday on Capitol Hill.

Marine Gen. Joe Dunford, the nation’s highest-ranking military officer, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Russia “remains the only potential existential threat to the United States,” thanks in part to Moscow’s ability to sideline adversaries with successful multi-pronged cyberattacks.

“I would agree with your assessment that the most significant threat in cyberspace we face today, the most advanced capabilities are the Russians. That’s our assessment,” the four-star general testified.

“The one thing that the Russians have effectively done is combine that cyber capability with political-influence operations, economic coercion, information operations, electronic warfare and even military posture,” he added.

“Even with an overall weak hand, they’ve been able to effectively advance their interests without going to war,” he told lawmakers.

Following his nomination in 2015 to chair the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dunford testified during a confirmation hearing that summer that Russia posed “an existential threat to the United States.”

The U.S. intelligence community has since concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized state-sponsored hackers and propagandists to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential race in an effort to sow chaos and hurt the election’s Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton. Intelligence officials have warned that Moscow will likely intervene in future contests.

“Vladimir Putin cannot beat us on land, he can’t beat us on land, he can’t beat us on the sea, he can’t beat us under the sea, he can’t beat us in the air, and he can’t beat us in space. But he can beat us in cyber,” Sen. Bill Nelson, Florida Democrat, said during Tuesday’s committee hearing.

The Department of Defense “must be prepared to defend the U.S. homeland and its vital interests from disruptive or destructive cyberattacks of significant consequence as outlined in the 2015 DoD Cyber Strategy,” Gen. Dunford explained in prepared remarks supplied prior to the hearing. “However, any U.S. response should involve a whole-of-government approach to take advantage of all the available tools at our disposal.”

Moscow has denied meddling in last year’s White House race, notwithstanding evidence allegedly linking Russia’s military intelligence agency, GRU, to hacking campaigns conducted during the run-up to President Trump’s election last summer.

Officials in Congress and the Department of Justice are currently investigating Russia’s role in the race in addition to any possible connections between foreign operatives and Mr. Trump’s inner circle.

The White House has denied colluding with Russia.

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