China is engaged in what the U.S. Strategic Command calls “nuclear breakout” in developing large numbers of missiles, warheads and other strategic warfighting capabilities.
“We are witnessing a strategic breakout by China,” Stratcom commander Adm. Charles Richard said Thursday.
“The explosive growth in their nuclear and conventional forces can only be what I describe as breathtaking,” he said at a conference in Alabama, adding that, “frankly, that word ‘breathtaking’ may not be enough.”
Adm. Richard noted that there are two new missile fields being constructed in western China as part of the build that will include more than 100 nuclear land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles.
“Nuclear breakout” is not easily defined, but the four-star admiral said the threat it poses is significant.
The Chinese are rapidly building up nuclear forces and have resisted U.S. calls to join existing nuclear arms control treaties. The build-up includes nuclear missiles armed with multiple warheads, precision-strike weapons and six new nuclear submarines with new JL-3 missiles, hypersonic missiles capable of evading U.S. missile defenses.
Beijing also is moving its forces to a higher readiness status and no longer appears to be engaged in so-called
“minimum deterrence.”
China‘s production of intercontinental ballistic missiles is “explosive,” the admiral said, noting commercial satellite imagery identifying the two new missile fields in western China. Each field, he said, “has nearly 120 ICBM silos.”
The new missile silos add to existing ICBMs deployed by China in silos and scores of road-mobile long-range missiles. Adm. Richard suggested there are additional missile fields for new solid-fuel ballistic missiles under construction.
“If you enjoy looking at commercial satellite imagery or stuff in China, can I suggest you keep looking,” he said.
As to Beijing’s intentions, Adm. Richard said “it really doesn’t matter why China continues to modernize.”
“What matters is they are building the capability to execute any plausible nuclear employment strategy – the last brick in the wall of a military capable of coercion ,” he said.
To deter China from using its nuclear and conventional forces for coercion, Adm. Richard said new concepts of deterrence are needed, along with modernized U.S. nuclear forces.
“Business as usual will not work,” he said.
Russia also is modernizing its nuclear forces and poses a significant threat to the United States, Adm. Richard said, noting Moscow’s recent development of advanced nuclear missiles and an underwater nuclear-armed torpedo.