China: Nuclear Weapons Upgrade Puts ‘Entire U.S. at Risk,’ Chinese Army Told To Be Ready To Win A War
China’s nuclear weapons capabilities were recently upgraded with a multiple warhead missile, and now Chinese leader Xi Jinping, and the Chinese Communist Party, have repeatedly telling the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to be ready to win a war. But is China actually saber-rattling for World War 3 or are they simply trying to modernize their military now that they’ve become the world’s largest economy?
In a related report by the Inquisitr, experts are already predicting the Chinese Navy will be larger than the U.S. Navy by 2020. China recently launched its first aircraft carrier, and they plan on unveiling new designs for jets, destroyers, and amphibious assault vessels. The U.S. Navy believes that the newest of China’s nuclear submarines, the Jin SSBN, “would mark China’s first credible at-sea-second-strike nuclear capability,” and China will be purchasing a new Russian nuclear submarine design called the Amur 1650.
According to the National Air and Space Intelligence Center, China’s nuclear weapons was tested recently, and it was based upon a deploying multiple independently targetable reentry (MIRV) design that can carry up to 10 nuclear warheads. The U.S.–China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) believes that China’s nuclear weapon, the new DF-41, is capable of “putting the entire U.S. at risk” since it has an effective range under 7,500 miles and it’s capable of overwhelming U.S. ballistic missile defenses.
“China’s nuclear forces over the next three to five years will expand considerably and become more lethal and survivable with the fielding of additional road-mobile nuclear missiles … (and) China in 2014 continued to pursue a broad counter-space program to challenge US information superiority in a conflict and disrupt or destroy US satellites if necessary.”
Although the U.S. first deployed MIRV missiles in 1968, the reason that the Chinese MIRVs are such an important development is because it allows a country to wipe out an enemy’s nuclear deterrents in a surprise first strike. A single MIRV missile can be used to eliminate multiple sites simultaneously. Experts believe the only way to guard against such a threat is to increase the size of a country’s nuclear arsenal.
In addition, China’s nuclear submarine forces will each carry five Jin-class submarine-launched ballistic missiles, which have an effective range of 4,598 miles. According to the reports, this “gives China the ability to conduct nuclear strikes against Alaska if launched from waters near China; against Alaska and Hawaii if launched from waters south of Japan; against Alaska, Hawaii, and the western portion of the continental United States if launched from waters west of Hawaii; and against all 50 US states if launched from waters east of Hawaii.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping recently promoted three PLA generals close to him. One of the statements that has caused some consternation was the concept that the Chinese military should “improve their combat readiness and sharpen their ability to win a regional war in the age of information technology.” According to the Week, it’s possible China is preparing for something, but it’s possible the efficiency of the military is the major issue.
“Is the Chinese leadership preparing for something? Are they gearing up for a military operation, or merely the option to carry one out? Or is there a more innocent explanation for all of this?… Well-trained armed forces are necessary even in operations short of war; a show of force can quickly become a demonstration of incompetence. We don’t really know what is pushing Xi and company’s seemingly bellicose exhortations. Much of the decision-making taking place in the Chinese military is a black box opaque to the outside world. Maybe China is preparing for something. Maybe it isn’t. Maybe they’re preparing for something and even they don’t know what it is.”
