Aerospace Group:

China’s Nuclear Warhead Buildup Exceeding Previous Projections, New DoD Report Says

By Matthew Beinart

Thursday, October 19th, 2023

SHARE:

China’s Nuclear Warhead Buildup Exceeding Previous Projections, New DoD Report Says

People's Liberation Army's Bayi Building in Beijing, China. (DoD photo by Army Sgt. Amber I. Smith)

The Pentagon estimates that China now has more than 500 operational nuclear warheads, a hundred more than last year, and projects that Beijing will have over 1,000 such weapons by 2030. China’s push to grow its nuclear stockpile is exceeding previous projections, according to the Pentagon’s new “China Military Power” report released on Thursday, which also details the department’s latest insights on Beijing’s military modernization effort. “Compared to the [People’s Liberation Army’s] (PLA) nuclear modernization efforts a decade ago, current…

Pentagon

Amid Questions On Weapons Stockpiles, Caine Says U.S. Has ‘Sufficient’ Munitions For Iran Operation

Pentagon leaders on Wednesday sought to quell concerns over the rate at which the U.S. is employing critical munitions in its military strike campaign against Iran, with lawmakers also pressing […]

Congress

SASC Leaders Criticize Trump’s Defense Strategy, Press Colby On Policy Shifts

Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) leadership on Tuesday criticized the Trump administration’s new National Defense Strategy (NDS) and pressed the Pentagon’s top policy official to explain the document’s priorities. SASC […]

Congress

Wicker Wants Legislation On DoD’s Equity Investments In Minerals Supply Chain

Legislation regarding equity investments by the Defense Department in critical mineral supply chains is needed to strengthen the larger defense industrial base and demonstrate to the “free market” that the […]

Congress

“Not Sure How They Get To Where They Wanna Be,” Calvert Says of $1.5 Trillion Defense Topline Proposal

As the federal government enters a third week of tardiness in a fiscal 2027 budget release, a big question is how the Pentagon will be able to spend $500 billion […]