Minimum Deterrent No More: Where China’s Nuclear Buildup Is Headed
For the past year, senior U.S. military officials have been quietly warning U.S. policymakers that China’s buildup of nuclear weapons is a serious threat to the United States.
Finally, as Mark Schneider of the National Institute for Public policy details in a new assessment, even the latest U.S. intelligence community projection of China’s nuclear plans is considerably lower than material available in the public sector suggests, including from Chinese government sources:
“The reality of what China is doing is far more threatening than the assessment contained in the Pentagon report. According to Admiral Charles Richard, Commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, “We are witnessing a strategic breakout by China. The explosive growth and modernization of its nuclear and conventional forces can only be what I describe as breathtaking. And frankly, that word breathtaking may not be enough.” Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General John Hyten stated that the Chinese orbital hypersonic weapons “look like a first-use weapon.” Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall has warned that “China is acquiring a first-strike capability.” The Communist Party of China recently threatened Japan: ‘We will use nuclear bombs first…. We will use nuclear bombs continuously. We will do this until Japan declares unconditional surrender for the second time.”
Peter Huessy is President of Geo-Strategic Analysis in Potomac, Maryland.
Image: Reuters.