Pentagon says China planning big increase in nuclear arsenal
China likely WASHINGTON— plans to double its stockpile of nuclear warheads in this decade, including those designed to be carried atop ballisticmissilesthatcanreach the United States, the Pentagon said in a report released Tuesday.
Even with such increases, China’s nuclear force would be far smaller than thatof the United States, which has an estimated 3,800 warheads in active status and others in reserve. Unlike the U.S., Chinahasnonuclearairforce, but the report said that gap may be filled by developing a nuclear air-launched ballisticmissile.
TheTrumpadministration has been urging China to join theU.S. andRussia in negotiating a three-way deal tolimit strategic nuclear arms, but China has declined.
Initsannual“ChinaMilitary Power” report to Congress, the Pentagon said the modernization
and expansion of China’s nuclear forces is part ofabroadereffortbyBeijingto developamoreassertivepositionontheworldstageandto match or surpassAmericaby 2049 as the dominant power in the Asia-Pacific region.
“China’snuclear forces will significantly evolve over the nextdecadeas itmodernizes, diversifies, and increases the numberof its land-, sea-, and
air-based nuclear delivery platforms,” the report said. “Over the next decade, China’s nuclear warhead stockpile — currently estimated to be in the low 200s — is projectedtoatleastdoubleinsize as China expands and modernizes its nuclear forces.”
Tuesday’s report to Congress is not the first time the Pentagonhaspredictedadoubling of China’snuclear stockpile. In a speech at the Hudson Institute inMay 2019, the then-director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Lt. Gen. RobertAshley, said,“Overthe next decade, China will likely at least double the size of its nuclearstockpileinthecourse of implementing the most rapid expansion and diversification of its nuclear arsenal inChina’s history.” Ashley said China’s stockpilewas in the “low couple hundreds.”
Thosepredictions fitneatly with arguments the Trump administration makes to justify spendinghundreds of billions of dollars to modernize the U.S. nuclear arsenal.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper himselfmadethis connection three days before the Pentagon’s China reportwas released.
“As Communist China moves to at least double the size of its nuclear stockpile, modernizingournuclearforce and maintaining readiness is essential to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” he wrote on Twitter.