China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are operating as a de facto alliance that could overwhelm the United States by forcing it to handle several major crises at once, according to a new book published by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Titled «Axis of Aggressors: Countering the Cooperation of China, Russia, Iran and North Korea,» the work examines how the four authoritarian governments support each other across military, economic, cyber, and technology domains — even without a formal mutual-defense treaty.
Retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, one of the book's three authors, told Fox News Digital that the cooperation is already visible in active conflicts. «I just got back from a couple of weeks in Ukraine, and when I'm sitting in Ukraine, it's really obvious to me that Ukraine is fighting Russia, North Korea, Iran and China,» he said. Montgomery pointed to North Korean ammunition and troops, Iranian drones and production expertise, and Chinese economic and technological backing for Moscow. He added that «China is backstopping the whole thing, providing the economic backstop to Russia's economy so they can survive this four-year catastrophic event for Russia.»
The book documents 616 instances of security cooperation among the four governments from Jan. 1, 2019, through Dec. 31, 2025, spanning arms transfers, weapons development, military exercises, intelligence sharing, and military exchanges. The central danger, Montgomery explained, is what the authors call the «simultaneity problem.» He said, «We don't get to handle these with a singularity anymore. We have to handle this with a simultaneity. And I don't think we can handle two problems at once, much less three or four.» For instance, during a potential confrontation between China and Taiwan, North Korea could threaten South Korea or launch limited attacks to pin down U.S. forces. A conflict involving Russia and NATO's Baltic members could be accompanied by Iranian terrorism or other hostile activity.
The book identifies China-Russia military cooperation as the axis's most consequential bilateral relationship. Chinese dual-use products have helped sustain Russia's defense industrial base, while Moscow transfers technology and battlefield lessons that could assist Beijing in a Pacific conflict. North Korea has supplied Russia with millions of artillery rounds, ballistic missiles, and troops; in return, Moscow has assisted Pyongyang's missile, space, drone, and nuclear programs. Iran has provided Russia with drones and production knowledge. The book also warns that Russian and Chinese assistance could help Tehran rebuild military capabilities damaged during its conflicts with Israel and the United States.
Economic ties underpin the military cooperation, according to co-author Elaine Dezenski, who described the four-country economy as a «fractured alignment.» She told Fox News Digital that «these four players are bound together more by necessity than by a specific trust or shared strategy among them. China needs energy. Russia and Iran need buyers for their oil and gas. And North Korea needs any lifeline that it can get.» China purchases discounted Russian and Iranian energy while providing goods, technology, and access to its domestic market. The book says China buys as much as 95% of Iran's oil exports, with some sanctioned oil routed through third countries, relabeled, or processed by independent Chinese refineries known as «teapots.» Dezenski warned that «the export juggernaut that is China today is fueled by sanctioned oil and gas.»
Dezenski also highlighted that China, Russia, and Iran are developing payment systems outside traditional Western banking infrastructure. More trade is being settled in yuan through China's Cross-Border Interbank Payment System, or CIPS, which could reduce Washington's ability to enforce sanctions through the dollar system. «We need to really think about that sooner rather than later, before this alternative payment system becomes too big to tackle,» she said.
Cyber cooperation is another domain where the four countries blur lines between criminal hackers and government operatives. Montgomery said these regimes routinely outsource work to criminal groups to keep their own hands clean, and those groups are increasingly networking with each other. The book cites ties involving Iranian cybercriminals and Russian ransomware groups, Chinese actors on Russian dark-web forums, and Russian and North Korean state-backed hackers using shared operational infrastructure.
Carrie Filipetti, executive director of the Vandenberg Coalition and a former State Department official, said drone warfare demonstrates how the axis's cooperation can directly affect battlefield outcomes. The book concludes that the longer the United States remains entangled in conflicts in Ukraine, Iran, or elsewhere, the more China and Russia benefit. The authors urge U.S. policymakers to recognize the coordinated threat and develop strategies to counter the axis before it becomes even harder to manage.
