The latest development by China has raised the alarms in the strategic decorum of America. The satellite images identified suspected construction of three different silos fields in China.
Silos fields are specifically built to launch long-range nuclear missiles.
This indicates that the Chinese government and especially the establishment in Beijing is putting an immense amount of effort and maximum resources in order to attain and maximize the country’s nuclear power capabilities.
The Federation of American Scientists (FAS), which is known to be national security research and advocacy organization, was the first one to identify this rapid progress through satellites in China. It stated that the development is occurring on the western side of the country.
Matt Korda and Hans M. Kristensen, who are authors at the FAS stated “for China, this is an unprecedented nuclear buildup. The missile silo fields are still many years away from becoming fully operational and it remains to be seen how China will arm and operate them.”
Even though the danger is still a few years away, it is close enough to raise concerns across the US officials regarding the military progress of China as well as the nuclear power progression.
US Strategic Command tweeted “this is the second time in two months the public has discovered what we have been saying all along about the growing threat the world faces and the veil of secrecy that surrounds it.”
The Commander of US Strategic Command, Navy Adm, Charles A. Richard had stated in August that “we are witnessing a strategic breakout by China. The explosive growth and modernization of its nuclear and conventional forces can only be what I describe as breathtaking. And frankly, that word breathtaking may not be enough.”
According to the FAS, which analyzed detailed pictures obtained through satellite Maxar Technologies and Planet Labs, China is planning to construct as many as 300 missile silos.
On the front, China is committed to maintaining a minimum deterrence policy which means it is supposed to keep its nuclear power and arsenal at a minimum level that deters it from being necessary to adversary before attacking but in reality, a lot is happening behind closed doors.
