China plans to at least double the size of its nuclear forces and stockpile by 2030, as it implements “the most rapid expansion and diversification of its nuclear arsenal in China’s history,” according to Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley, the director of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).
As reported by Free Pressers, “These initiatives increase China’s ability to project power further from their mainland and support their aspirations to impose China’s will throughout the Indo-Pacific region,” Adm. Charles A. Richard, commander of U.S. Strategic Command told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Feb. 13.
“China and Russia are developing advanced capabilities to directly challenge our strengths across all domains,” Richard said, singling out Beijing for its large-scale nuclear force modernization.
Time reported that Gen. Ashley also accused both China and Russia last year of testing low-yield nuclear weapons in violation of the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. The growth of these tactical nukes by China and Russia prompted President Trump to develop the first U.S. low yield warhead in decades.
Meanwhile, Free Pressers notes, Adm. Richard questioned Beijing’s declared “no first use” nuclear policy — the claim that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) will not use nuclear weapons first in a conflict. Chinese secrecy regarding its nuclear buildup and the expansion of the overall nuclear arsenal “bring [China‘s] motives and intent into question,” Richard said.
China, Adm. Richard added, is building a range of nuclear forces — ground-based missiles, missile submarines, and bombers — designed to deny foreign regional forces access to conduct operations in the Indo-Pacific region.
As China rushes to completely modernize its nuclear forces, it is nearly ready to field a so-called nuclear “triad” capable launching an attack from land, air, and sea — a capability Russia and the U.S. have had for decades. The PLA’s Air Force (PLAAF) newly reassigned nuclear mission and deployment of a new strategic stealth bomber would provide China with its first credible triad.
According to the National Interest, the new H-20 strategic stealth bomber is expected to have a maximum un-refueled combat radius exceeding 5,000 miles and payload between China’s older H-6 bomber’s ten tons and the U.S. B-2 stealth bomber’s twenty-three tons.
The H-20 will be able to strike targets beyond the “second island ring” (which includes U.S. bases in Japan, Guam, the Philippines, etc.) from mainland China. The third island chain extends to Hawaii and coastal Australia.
The Trump administration points to this aggressive Chinese nuclear expansion as justification for its focus on modernizing U.S. nuclear forces, and as proof of China’s emergence as a great power, and why China must be included in future arms control conversations, not just limit agreements to the U.S. and Russia.
Paul Crespo is a defense and national security expert. He served as a Marine Corps officer and as a military attaché with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) at US embassies worldwide. He holds degrees from Georgetown, London, and Cambridge Universities. Paul is also CEO of SPECTRE Global Risk, a security advisory firm, and a Contributor to American Defense News.
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This is quite concerning. China supposedly had only one bio-weapons lab and it appears a protocol violation there has risked a major portion of the Chinese population as well as the rest of the world. Now we have to worry about the Chinese increasing production and maintaining security of more nukes with this poor track record.
Agreed. We’d be worry and prepared for the coming war. The CONVID-19 is the first signal by the communist China’s biological weapon used to rage war against the US military bases in the southeast region. And then the Pacific Islands. Hawaii is the US’s die or do.
And we can thank Clinton for helping them along.
Yes, and WE can thank Clintons for giving them very much tech-secrets, and enriching themselves as they did it! BUT, who walks free today? “If I have anything to do with it, you’re going to jail.” It’s time that the TRUMP Administration do something about the rogue D.O.J. and put up, or SHUT UP! WE WANT HRC LOCKED UP! NOW!
If China survives by 2030, lol. Who’s to say china didn’t create the coronavirus in a lab as a biochemical weapon and got leaked out being that we still don’t know what it is, how it came to be and only that it originated in china and that government actively drags people from their homes like animals, those people aren’t seen again and china has all of a sudden set up incinerators. Something to think about
I believe that they did create this virus for a bio weapon. They started seeing the first cases in DEC last year. The first doctor to sound the alarm has died but before he did the Chinese Government forced him to recant his statements. I believe they are still not reporting the correct numbers of sick, dead and dying. We need to make the Chinese Government accountable for all the pain and suffering they have caused. I find it very hard to believe that this coronavirus is natural. The outbreak happened within spitting distance of a level 4 medical experimental lab.
And HOW would you propose we make the Chinese government accountable, smart ass??
That would be great crumbling China forever
The counter-weapon to China’s nuclear forces is the development of High Energy Lasers that can engage a nuclear weapon in any phase of flight at the speed of light; penetrate and destroy the weapon by burning through its propulsion system, its guidance system and its control surfaces. The High Energy Lasers must be given top priority for development and deployment and must be demonstrated to the world as a non-nuclear answer to the threat of nuclear weapons. In a post-nuclear era we can once again feel secure. In the meantime, we should hold the counter-threat of an attack to breach the Three Gorges Dam as a non-nuclear attack that can cause greater damage to China than any single nuclear weapon.
Have you any idea how insane that thought really is? Arcing a high energy laser across the sky to hit a target moving at 23000 mph is kind of crazy. Think of all the satellites in the sky behind it? Each satellite will be destroyed as the laser passes it. IT is called unintended consequence.
Care to know the secret defense against a laser? A mirror. The only way to penetrate the mirror is to burn the mirror’s reflective surface and while that is possible it is harder to do at 23000 mph than you can imagine. That being said I would bet that there are already high energy lasers that are fully deployed. You and I will not know about them for YEARS.
the US had laser weapons in 1977 when I arrived in the US. 2 Boeing 707 one making the power and transfering it to the second one by laser and the weapon firing in the air. DONE and better now than 40 years ago.
You are hilariously funny and full of crap!
Bring it on. Trump is not the ass kisser his predecessor was. If the Chinese have to find this out the hard way so be it.
I’ve been saying for 35 years “If the Soviet bear scared us, the Chinese dragon should terrify us.”
A few thoughts on mitigating the threat from the dragon;
– Elimination of all students within the United States education system from that
deplorable communist regime. No exceptions. Are we obligated to educate our foe?
– Within 3 years eliminate all trade with China. Hard? Extremely. Not as hard as going to
war with an enemy that we empowered though. Plus watching the figurative heads of
the trans-national corporations exploding would be immensely pleasing. Emotionally and
morally.
-Arm, train and finance a Tibetan independence movement.
-Encourage South Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan and Japan to arm themselves with nuclear
weapons. With various destructive and delivery capabilities.
-Increase our military capabilities to deter any Chinese, desperation attacks, in the near
term, as their dreams of empire sink beneath the waves of the South China Sea. Forever,
international waters.
The side that will win is always the side with the most desire to win.
If all that I suggest were to come to pass and even more. The most difficult aspect would be reeling in our beloved corporations. Entities with a love unsurpassed, a loyalty never failing to profit. Not so much to our nation.
Your an idiot!!
yoiu are a troll…. blessed be you
Do we, the USA, even have bases in the Philippines any longer??
This is what happens when we let people like Hillary and Obama get in the white house, and for the backwards democracts like Biden, Kerry in our government. If it weren’t for the liars we had for the past 20 years China wouldn’t be talking
China should understand that it is no longer dealing with limp-wristed Obama.
Paul Crespo, YOU are a fucking Fabulist and no better than than the rest of the lying so called News Media at CNBC,CNN, ABC & CBS. China did Not threaten President Donald J Trump and America!! This article is very misleading as to what was factually said by the Chinese government and their goals and intentions with their nuclear program. China is Not presently equal to the USA and Russia in nuclear power but stated their intentions to become closer and equal to both super powers for the protection of their interests and people. You wrote this false article with misleading information trying to convince people that China has threatened our country and president and nothing could be further from the truth. Shame on you and your Warmongering tactics! God Bless the Planet Earth with Peace for All mankind!!
Nuke China.
Right on, Dickhead. Get rid of the slant eyed chinks and their deadly virus.
China’s Leaders have always thought generations ahead, look at where they were politically and economically just two generations ago, look at where they are now, think of where they could be in another 50 years…
contrast that to America, where we seem to be focused only as far ahead as our media projects the next disaster
for a culture which has existed since @ 5000 BCE, China has done very well…
we, of America, are small fry to them – powerful yes, by nowhere as long-lived and entrenched in world affairs
Chinese women give good head.