Axis of Aggressors: Countering the Cooperation of China, Russia, Iran & North Korea

The threat to the United States is escalating, and its enemies have joined forces.

China, Russia, Iran, North Korea - a new Axis of Aggressors. Their cooperation is growing, consequential, and demands action.

In June 2025, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Dan Caine warned Congress that Beijing, Moscow, Tehran, and Pyongyang are "pursuing unprecedented levels of cooperation." Many Americans don't know what that means, but are alarmed to see North Korean troops fighting for Russia and Chinese chemicals fueling Iran's ballistic missile program. This groundbreaking book provides answers.

Axis of Aggressors delivers the most rigorous, comprehensive analysis to date of how America's authoritarian adversaries are coordinating across economic, cyber, technology, and military domains - and why it matters.

Drawing on decades of financial, military, and national security expertise, Bradley L. Bowman, Elaine K. Dezenski, and Rear Admiral (Ret.) Mark Montgomery - all senior leaders at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies - don't just diagnose the global security threats posed by this new authoritarian bloc. They provide specific recommendations to strengthen America and weaken the Axis.

In a wake-up call for Americans, this book is essential for understanding the shifting geopolitical threats and their implications for U.S. security. It is a roadmap for urgent and necessary action.

"The growing alliance among China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea is forcing the United States into the most dangerous threat environment we have faced since World War II - one that will require us to modernize rapidly. This book provides a clear understanding of this Axis of Aggressors, as well as the urgent steps our nation must take to deter our adversaries."

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee

"Bradley Bowman, Elaine Dezenski, and Mark Montgomery have pulled the curtain back on the Axis of Aggressors. Thanks to their impeccable research, America and the Free World have all the information necessary to defeat hostile authoritarian regimes' efforts to rewrite the rules of international discourse in their favor. The stakes are high because if the dictators succeed, our world will be less free, less prosperous, and less safe. Axis of Aggressors is a book to be read and, most importantly, acted upon. We cannot afford to let its recommendations lay inert in its pages."

Lt. Gen. (Ret.) H.R. McMaster, chairman of FDD's Center on Military and Political Power and former U.S. national security advisor

Author: Bradley L. Bowman,Elaine K. Dezenski,Rear Admiral (Ret) Mark Montgomery
Publisher: Armin Lear Press
Published: 07/27/2026
Pages: 362
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.07lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.81d
ISBN: 9781968919429

About the Author
Dezenski, Elaine K.: - Elaine K. Dezenski serves as senior director and head of the Center on Economic and Financial Power (CEFP) at FDD. With more than two decades of leadership in government, industry, academia, and international organizations, Elaine is a globally recognized expert and thought leader on geopolitical risk, economic statecraft, supply chain resilience, illicit finance, anti-corruption, and national security.At CEFP, Elaine produces actionable research and policy proposals to address global economic threats, illicit finance, and supply chain vulnerabilities while promoting the forceful use of economic power to advance American interests. Elaine has served in the U.S. government, international organizations, and the private sector. She held both political and career positions at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, including deputy and acting assistant secretary for policy and director of cargo and trade policy. She served on the Transportation Security Administration's Aviation Security Advisory Committee and chaired its Air Cargo Security Subcommittee. She also served on the Chairman's Council on China Competition at the Export-Import Bank of the United States. Elaine has also held senior positions at international organizations, including the World Economic Forum and INTERPOL. In the private sector, Elaine held various managerial roles at the Transportation Division of Siemens Corporation and at Cross Match Technologies (now HID). She also founded a risk advisory practice, LumiRisk, LLC. Elaine has also served as a senior fellow at the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs at Yale University and as a lecturer of business ethics in Yale's Program on Ethics, Politics, and Economics. Elaine hosts the Coercive Capital podcast on the Illicit Edge network and has been published widely, including in The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Policy, New York Post, The Washington Post, Newsweek, and The Hill. Elaine holds a master's in public policy from Georgetown University and a B.A. in international relations from Wheaton College.Montgomery, Rear Admiral (Ret) Mark: - Rear Admiral (Ret.) Mark Montgomery serves as senior director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation (CCTI) and as a senior fellow at FDD. Mark served for more than three decades in the U.S. Navy, held senior leadership roles in Congress, and is a recognized expert on cyber and technology policy. At CCTI, Mark leads efforts to advance U.S. national and economic security through technology innovation, and counter cyber threats against the United States and its allies, and combat adversary cyber campaigns. He also directs CSC 2.0, an initiative to implement the recommendations of the congressionally mandated Cyberspace Solarium Commission, where he served as executive director. Mark was policy director for the Senate Armed Services Committee under Sen. John S. McCain, where he coordinated efforts on national security strategy, force posture, capabilities, and cyber policy. Mark served 32 years in the U.S. Navy as a nuclear-trained surface warfare officer, retiring as a rear admiral in 2017. His flag officer assignments included director of operations (J3) at U.S. Pacific Command; commander of Carrier Strike Group 5 aboard the USS George Washington in Japan; and deputy director for plans, policy, and strategy (J5) at U.S. European Command. From 1998 to 2000, he served at the National Security Council as director for transnational threats. Mark frequently testifies before Congress and appears on major media outlets including CNN and the BBC. His writing has been widely published in outlets such as The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, and he regularly travels to Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel to support policy discussions, tabletop exercises, and military planning. Mark holds graduate degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Oxford and completed the U.S. Navy's nuclear power training program. He is also an adjunct professor at Georgetown University.Bowman, Bradley L.: - Bradley L. Bowman serves as senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP) at FDD. A recognized expert on U.S. foreign and defense policy and strategy, he has served as a national security advisor to members of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees, as well as an active-duty U.S. Army officer, Black Hawk pilot, and assistant professor at West Point. CMPP promotes understanding of the defense strategies, policies, and capabilities necessary to deter and defeat threats to the freedom, security, and prosperity of Americans and our allies. Bradley spent nearly nine years in the U.S. Senate, including six years as the top defense advisor to Senator Kelly Ayotte, then-senior Republican on the Senate Armed Services Readiness and Management Support Subcommittee. He also served as national security advisor to Senator Todd Young and worked as a Council on Foreign Relations international affairs fellow on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Bradley served more than 15 years on active duty as a U.S. Army officer, including time as a company commander, Black Hawk pilot-in-command, congressional affairs officer on the Army staff in the Pentagon, and staff officer in Afghanistan. As an assistant professor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Bradley taught courses on American politics, foreign policy, and grand strategy. He also taught a graduate course on "Congress and U.S. National Security Policy" at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. Bradley has testified to Congress, appeared on BBC, CBS, and CNN, and edited and co-authored major monographs on topics such as U.S. military posture, information warfare, and the American defense industrial base. He has published hundreds of essays and articles, including ones published by The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and Foreign Policy. He earned a master's in international relations from Yale University and a B.S. in American politics from West Point.

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