‘Accelerated Cooperation’ Between U.S. Adversaries: New Report Warns

America’s authoritarian adversaries are growing bolder as they expedite and increase their security cooperation. The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) released the 2025 Worldwide Threat Assessment (WWTA) earlier this month, and it shows that Beijing, Moscow, Pyongyang, and Tehran have “accelerated cooperation” since 2022, seeking “to expand the breadth and depth of their collaboration” this year.

The unclassified annual report summarizes major threats for policymakers and the public. In a change from previous years, this assessment highlights cooperation between authoritarian states as a prominent feature of the geostrategic landscape, ahead of the threat trends and country assessments.

Technological Innovation Increases Threat to U.S. Interests

The report notes that accelerating technological innovation is increasing the means through which adversaries can threaten the U.S. homeland and American interests abroad. This includes China’s and Russia’s pursuit of new missile capabilities, North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that can reach the United States, and Iran’s space launch vehicle program that could facilitate the development of an ICBM. The report also issues warnings regarding the active and diffuse threat of terrorism, the increase of unmanned systems, border security challenges, and drug trafficking.

A Snapshot of Authoritarian Cooperation

Beijing, Moscow, Pyongyang, and Tehran favor cooperation in bilateral relationships over multilateral institutions, according to DIA, because bilateral cooperation facilitates speed and discretion. Much like the 2024 report, the 2025 report acknowledges sources of friction in some of these relationships but assesses that states “will seek to compartmentalize these differences as they advance military, security, and intelligence cooperation.”

Events in just the past month provide a snapshot of activities that illustrate DIA’s assessment of growing depth and breadth in security cooperation amongst autocracies:

• At the end of April, North Korea launched a missile destroyer that appears to feature several Russian design influences, including the Pantsir-M: a naval air defense system. Kim Jong-Un visited the Russian embassy in Pyongyang, an uncommon occurrence, on May 9 to mark Russia’s commemorative events for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. North Korean troops also conducted a series of military exercises this month, aiming to institutionalize lessons learned and drone warfare experience from their combat deployments alongside Russian troops. South Korean officials suggested Russian technical assistance contributed to a new air-to-air missile tested by a North Korean MiG-29 fighter aircraft.
• Lawmakers in the Iranian Parliament voted to ratify the 20-year strategic partnership with Russia on May 21. Though the partnership lacks a mutual defense clause, it calls for military-technical cooperation. Also on May 21, Belarus opened the 12th International Exhibition of Weapons and Military Equipment: MILEX-2025. China, Russia, and Iran all participated. Iran and Belarus signed a defense industry cooperation agreement on March 12 shortly after Belarus announced a new domestic drone production initiative with Russian backing. The Iranian pavilion of weapons displays at MILEX was notably located adjacent to the BelTechExport pavilion where Iranian defense officials engaged with Belarussian officials on defense industry cooperation. BelTechExport is an authorized state special exporter for the Belarussian defense industry.

Authoritarians Have a Need for Speed

The WWTA finds that Beijing, Moscow, Pyongyang, and Tehran prioritize “the transactional nature” of bilateral relationships over cooperation via multilateral structures. One should not assume “transactional” means less consequential compared to traditional alliances. The DIA report rightly points out that “transactional” relationships between these autocracies remain problematic for U.S. security interests because they may result in quicker initiation and delivery of security cooperation that can bolster military capabilities and strengthen bilateral relationships.

Still, established multilateral organizations, such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization or BRICS, should not be considered sideshows. Such venues provide recurring events through which sidebar bilateral engagements also often take place.

Increased and expedited adversary cooperation creates genuine dilemmas for Washington and requires continual and urgent reassessment of the U.S. defense budget, war plan assumptions, as well as force structure, capability, and posture requirements. A congressional failure to provide timely authorizations and sufficient appropriations to the defense department compounds the difficulties our nation confronts in addressing these rapidly changing threats.

Lydia LaFavor is a research fellow at FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP), where Ryan Brobst is a senior research analyst and Bradley Bowman is the senior director. For more analysis from the authors and CMPP, please subscribe HERE. Follow Ryan on X @RyanBrobst_ and Brad on X @Brad_L_Bowman. Follow FDD on X @FDD and @FDD_CMPP. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.