A recent report revealed that China now has more intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launchers than the U.S., sparking debates about the country's nuclear readiness.
The report from the U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) addressed to Congress showed this alarming fact. "The number of land-based fixed and mobile ICBM launchers in China exceeds the number of ICBM launchers in the United States," STRATCOM Commander Air Force Gen. Anthony Cotton wrote in the Jan. 26 report.
The notification was sent to the Armed Services Committees of both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
ICBMs pertain to ballistic missle with a range greater than 5,500 kilometers (3,400 miles). These are often designed for nuclear weapons delivery, with their warheads modified for this purpose.
The letter from the Department of Defense's arm triggered a debate about how the U.S. should respond to Beijing's nuclear buildup.
Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, reiterated that ICBM launchers are only one metric in measuring nuclear expansion. He told Defense News: "Launchers are one thing. [and] the nuclear enterprise involves a lot more than just launchers. We need to understand the issue in a little bit more detail before we figure out how to respond to it, so I think we need a more total vision."
Officials and external analysts said many of China's land-based launchers still consist of empty silos. STRATCOM also reassured Congress that the U.S. has more land-based ICBMs with nuclear warheads mounted on them compared to China. (Related: Analysts say China building up to 100 missile silos in northwestern desert.)
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Republican lawmakers called on the executive branch to expand the country's own nuclear forces to counter the Russian and Chinese forces. GOP lawmakers in the House Armed Services Committee said in a joint statement: "It is not an understatement to say that the Chinese nuclear modernization program is advancing faster than most believed possible."
Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, stressed that now is the time to adjust the force posture and increase the U.S.'s capabilities to meet the threat of China.
Beijing pundits scoff at Washington's nuclear expansion plan
Over in China, pundits scoffed at the U.S.'s plans to expand its nuclear arsenal. Military experts opined that the Biden administration may have seen an opportunity to use the incidents as an excuse to justify its demands for an increase in the defense budget. They would use it to expand their nuclear arsenal and upgrade their ICBM launching platforms like nuclear submarines. Critics further remark that these are based on exaggeration and the "China threat theory."
Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military expert, told the news outlet that "the U.S. military and politicians are using trickery to fool the public."
"The U.S.'s strategic nuclear capabilities mainly consist of sea-based and air-based launch platforms, so when they compare land-based launchers in the U.S. and China, they are just finding excuses to support their China threat theory for their own greedy purposes," Wei said.
Another military expert, TV commentator Song Zhongping, said the U.S. military's purpose is to justify its budgetary demands to expand the nuclear arsenal and build more weapons for nuclear war.
"They want to use Columbia-class nuclear submarines to replace the Ohio-class submarine, and also want more new B21 strategic bombers to replace the old B2, B1, B1B and B52 bombers. They are also developing the LGM-35 Sentinel ICBM system," he added.
NuclearWar.news has more stories about America's nuclear readiness.
Watch this video about China conducting hypersonic missle tests on spy balloons.
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