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the Reagan National Defense Forum capped a week in which the Pentagon focused on China's rise and analyzing what that could mean for America's position in the world.

On November 28, the Pentagon released its annual China Security Report, which warned that Beijing is likely to have 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035, with no clarity on how China would seek to use them.

On Dec. 2, in a dramatic nighttime deployment, Austin took part in an event where the public got its first glimpse of the military's newest B-21 Raider nuclear bomber, which is being developed as the ultimate answer to Beijing's rapidly growing cyber, space and nuclear capabilities, Voice of America reports.

"China is the only country that has both the will and the growing power to change its region and the international order to suit its authoritarian preferences.

Let me be clear: we will not let that happen," Austin said.

The Pentagon is also concerned about Russia and remains committed to arming Ukraine while avoiding the escalation of the conflict into a US war with Moscow, he said at a forum held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

"We will not be drawn into Putin's war."

"These next few years will determine the terms of our competition with the People's Republic of China.

They will shape the future of security in Europe.

And they will determine whether our children and grandchildren will inherit an open world of rules and rights — or whether they will face emboldened autocrats who seek to dominate through force and fear," Austin said.

Between the two nuclear threats, China remains the bigger risk, the Pentagon chief said.

“To meet this growth, we are aligning our budget with the challenge of China like never before.

In our imperfect world, restraint comes through force."

The bomber is part of an overhaul of the "nuclear triad," which the Congressional Budget Office estimates will cost $1.2 trillion by 2046.

In addition to Raider, the program requires the modernization of the nation's nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles and a fleet of nuclear submarines.

The Defense Department could receive up to $847 billion in the 2023 budget if Congress passes the current funding bill before the end of the current legislative session.

However, defense advocates argue that this is still not enough modernization to keep pace with China, as much of that spending goes to military personnel.

About one-quarter of the defense budget is spent on salaries, health care and retirement accounts.