New Pentagon report claims China now has over 500 operational nuclear warheads
1 year, 2 months ago

New Pentagon report claims China now has over 500 operational nuclear warheads

NPR  

New Pentagon report claims China now has over 500 operational nuclear warheads Enlarge this image toggle caption Mark Schiefelbein/AP Mark Schiefelbein/AP China may be accelerating its efforts to develop a nuclear arsenal, according to a new report from the Pentagon, as part of its ongoing efforts to modernize and revamp its fighting forces in order to match U.S. military capabilities. The latest assessment from the Defense Department said China had increased its arsenal of operational nuclear warheads from an estimated 400 in 2021 to more than 500 as of May this year. The report projects that China will reach 1,000 operational nuclear warheads by 2030 and may also be developing non-nuclear warheads that could reach parts of the continental United States. China has since more than doubled the number of warheads in its arsenal, according to the latest Pentagon report, "confirming that the rapid modernization foreshadowed several years ago is on track," in China, says Fravel.

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History of this topic

Pentagon report: China to build 1,000 nukes by 2030
1 week ago

Pentagon report: China to build 1,000 nukes by 2030

Politico  

President-elect Donald Trump will use tariffs and economic pressure in an attempt to exert influence over Beijing, and he is seeking to fill his administration with China hawks, from State Department pick Marco Rubio to incoming national security adviser Rep. Mike Waltz. “They also are showing some interest in developing a new conventional ICBM that could strike Hawaii, Alaska and …

A missile test by China marks its growing nuclear ambitions
2 weeks, 3 days ago

A missile test by China marks its growing nuclear ambitions

Live Mint  

THE LAST time China fired an intercontinental ballistic missile out over the Pacific, Xi Jinping was 27 years old, China’s GDP per head was less than $200 and America had just lifted an arms embargo on the country. So the missile that rose from Hainan island on September 25th—carrying a dummy warhead and plunging into the waters around French Polynesia, …

How China’s expanding nuclear arsenal calls for India’s deterrence strategy rehaul
1 month ago

How China’s expanding nuclear arsenal calls for India’s deterrence strategy rehaul

Firstpost  

As per estimates, China now possesses roughly 500 nuclear warheads, and numbers and quality are growing faster than the other nuclear weapon powers The Pentagon’s 2023 report to Congress assessed that China now has approximately 500 nuclear warheads for delivery by land-based ballistic missiles, sea-based ballistic missiles, road-mobile systems, and bombers. Nuclear Warhead Stockpile The Pentagon’s 2023 report to Congress …

China raises WW3 nuke fears as it unleashes intercontinental missile with dummy warhead in rare test-fire over Pacific Ocean
2 months, 4 weeks ago

China raises WW3 nuke fears as it unleashes intercontinental missile with dummy warhead in rare test-fire over Pacific Ocean

Daily Mail  

China launched an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean this morning for the first time in decades, ramping up concerns in a region already tense over Beijing's territorial claims and rivalry with the US. This file photo taken on October 1, 2019 shows China's DF-41 nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles during a military parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing Chinese …

India expanding its nuclear arsenal with eye on China: SIPRI
6 months, 1 week ago

India expanding its nuclear arsenal with eye on China: SIPRI

Hindustan Times  

India expanded its nuclear arsenal slightly in 2023 and appeared to be placing growing emphasis on longer-range weapons capable of striking targets across China, said the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute in a new yearbook released on Monday. “While Pakistan remains the main focus of India’s nuclear deterrent, India appears to be placing growing emphasis on longer-range weapons, including those …

India has more nuclear weapons than Pakistan, China records surge in stockpile: Report
6 months, 1 week ago

India has more nuclear weapons than Pakistan, China records surge in stockpile: Report

India TV News  

Stockholm: India has overtaken Pakistan in the global race to develop nuclear weapons for the first time, as several countries have ramped up their arsenal as tensions rise across the world. The SIPRI report confirms that all nine nuclear-armed countries - the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel - have continued to …

India has more nuclear weapons than Pakistan, China ups arsenal: Report
6 months, 1 week ago

India has more nuclear weapons than Pakistan, China ups arsenal: Report

India Today  

India has more nuclear weapons than Pakistan, while China has increased its nuclear arsenal from 410 warheads in January 2023 to 500 in January 2024, as per a report by a Swedish think-tank. With the world witnessing two wars in the past two years, an analysis by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute found that nine nuclear-armed nations, including India, Pakistan …

China preparing to test new generation nuclear weapons? Here’s satellite images
1 year ago

China preparing to test new generation nuclear weapons? Here’s satellite images

Live Mint  

The Israel-Hamas or the Russia-Ukraine war are some visible examples of the changing geopolitical order owing to tensions between various nations. “All the evidence points to China making preparations that would let it resume nuclear tests,” Tong Zhao, a nuclear expert told the New York Times. China making preparations that would let it resume nuclear tests The experts suggest that …

China's nuclear arsenal expanding faster than before, currently at 500 warheads: US Report
1 year, 2 months ago

China's nuclear arsenal expanding faster than before, currently at 500 warheads: US Report

India TV News  

China has significantly expanded its nuclear arsenal over the past year to more than 500 operational warheads, on track to exceed previous projections, and is working "slightly faster than estimated" to achieve its goal of having 1,000 warheads by 2030, according to a report by the US Department of Defense. "In 2022, Beijing continued its rapid nuclear expansion, and DoD …

US says China has significantly expanded its nuclear arsenal
1 year, 2 months ago

US says China has significantly expanded its nuclear arsenal

Al Jazeera  

Pentagon’s annual report says China has more than 500 operational nuclear warheads and is likely to double that by 2030. China had more than 500 operational nuclear warheads by May 2023 and was “on track to exceed previous projections”, the Pentagon said in its annual report on China’s military power, which was released on Thursday. As well as its nuclear …

China is building up its nuclear weapons arsenal faster than previous projections, a US report says
1 year, 2 months ago

China is building up its nuclear weapons arsenal faster than previous projections, a US report says

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — A Pentagon report on China’s military power says Beijing is exceeding previous projections of how quickly it is building up its nuclear weapons arsenal and is “almost certainly” learning lessons from Russia’s war in Ukraine about what a conflict over Taiwan might look like. The report released Thursday also warns that China may be pursuing a new intercontinental …

US must be ready for simultaneous wars with China, Russia: Commission
1 year, 2 months ago

US must be ready for simultaneous wars with China, Russia: Commission

Al Jazeera  

Congressional review of US’s strategic posture says security environment has worsened and US needs to respond. The United States must step up its military modernisation to enhance its conventional and nuclear forces and ensure it is ready for the possibility of simultaneous wars with China and Russia, a congressional commission evaluating the US’s strategic posture has said. Releasing its report …

China, Pak nuclear arsenal growing: SIPRI Report
1 year, 6 months ago

China, Pak nuclear arsenal growing: SIPRI Report

Deccan Chronicle  

New Delhi: The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute reported on Monday that the nine nuclear-armed states, including the US, Russia, the UK, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel, are continuing to modernise their nuclear arsenals. According to SIPRI's estimates, China's nuclear arsenal has increased from 350 warheads in January 2022 to 410 in January 2023, with expectations for …

Biggest rise in China's nuclear weapons, global stockpile also increases: Report
1 year, 6 months ago

Biggest rise in China's nuclear weapons, global stockpile also increases: Report

Hindustan Times  

The global nuclear weapons stockpile is at an all-time high, a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute revealed estimating that there are 12,512 nuclear warheads in the world, up 86 from a year ago. “We are approaching, or maybe have already reached, the end of a long period of the number of nuclear weapons worldwide declining,” Sipri director …

China, other states, fortify nuclear weapons arsenals: Report
1 year, 6 months ago

China, other states, fortify nuclear weapons arsenals: Report

Al Jazeera  

Think tank SIPRI says China had 17 percent more nuclear warheads in January 2023 compared with the year before. The world’s nine nuclear-armed states are continuing to modernise their nuclear arsenals, with China’s stockpile of nuclear warheads rising by 17 percent in 2022, according to the Sweden-based Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. In the SIPRI Yearbook 2023 released on Monday, …

Unfair ‘gesticulation’: China says US nuclear weapons report is speculation
2 years ago

Unfair ‘gesticulation’: China says US nuclear weapons report is speculation

Hindustan Times  

China's defence ministry on Tuesday dismissed a Pentagon report about the pace of its nuclear weapons programme as unfair "gesticulation" and speculation. Responding to the report, China's defence ministry said the United States was "gesticulating and absurdly guessing about the modernisation of China's nuclear forces". The United States was "vigorously" developing and seeking to deploy front-line tactical nuclear weapons, had …

Nuclear stockpile makes China a growing rival, Pentagon says
2 years ago

Nuclear stockpile makes China a growing rival, Pentagon says

Live Mint  

BY NANCY A. YOUSSEF | UPDATED NOV 29, 2022 03:15 PM EST Beijing’s military expansion puts it on track to keep Washington from intervening in a crisis with Taiwan, an annual assessment concludes China is on pace to challenge the U.S. militarily and prevent it from intervening in a crisis with Taiwan, including by expanding its stockpile of nuclear warheads, …

China to have 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035: Pentagon report
2 years ago

China to have 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035: Pentagon report

Hindustan Times  

China is likely to have a stockpile of about 1,500 warheads by 2035, up from the current estimated number of 400, the Pentagon has said. In its annual report to the Congress on China’s ambitious military build-up, the Pentagon said Tuesday that over the next decade, Beijing aims to modernise, diversify, and expand its nuclear forces. China is investing in …

China nuclear warhead stockpile to reach 1,500 by 2035 if it continues its build-up pace, US says
2 years ago

China nuclear warhead stockpile to reach 1,500 by 2035 if it continues its build-up pace, US says

ABC  

China will likely have a stockpile of 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035 if it continues with its current nuclear build-up pace, according to a report released by the Pentagon. Key points: The Pentagon's projection for China's nuclear arsenal of 1,000 warheads by 2030 remains unchanged China says its arsenal is dwarfed by those of the United States and Russia The …

China to increase nuclear warheads to 1,500, Pentagon warns
2 years ago

China to increase nuclear warheads to 1,500, Pentagon warns

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — China is expanding its nuclear force and is on pace to nearly quadruple the number of warheads it has by 2035, rapidly closing its gap with the United States, the Pentagon said in a report released Tuesday. Beijing’s growing arsenal is creating uncertainty for the U.S. as it navigates how to deter two nuclear powers, Russia and China, …

China to increase nuclear warheads to 1,500, Pentagon warns
2 years ago

China to increase nuclear warheads to 1,500, Pentagon warns

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. We can’t assume that if they have more capabilities, that their policy is going …

China could have 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035: Pentagon report
2 years ago

China could have 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035: Pentagon report

CNN  

CNN — China’s stockpile of nuclear warheads has surpassed 400 in a fraction of the time previously estimated by the United States, a major Pentagon report revealed, with Beijing focusing on accelerating its nuclear expansion as it seeks to challenge the US as the world’s top super power. The world’s most populous country is using its burgeoning military as one …

India appears to be expanding its nuclear arsenal, claims SIPRI
2 years, 6 months ago

India appears to be expanding its nuclear arsenal, claims SIPRI

The Hindu  

India had 160 nuclear warheads as on January 2022 and it appears to be expanding its nuclear arsenal, Stockholm-based defence think tank SIPRI claimed on Monday. “China is in the middle of a substantial expansion of its nuclear weapon arsenal, which satellite images indicate includes the construction of over 300 new missile silos,” SIPRI’s statement noted. “Even though SIPRI’s estimate …

SIPRI Says Global Nuclear Arsenal To Grow In The Coming Years, First Time Since Cold War
2 years, 6 months ago

SIPRI Says Global Nuclear Arsenal To Grow In The Coming Years, First Time Since Cold War

News 18  

The global nuclear arsenal is expected to grow in the coming years for the first time since the Cold War while the risk of such weapons being used is the greatest in decades, a leading conflict and armaments think-tank said on Monday. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Western support for Kyiv has heightened tensions among the world’s nine nuclear-armed states, …

Russia's got enough nuclear weapons for Putin to brag, make threats
2 years, 9 months ago

Russia's got enough nuclear weapons for Putin to brag, make threats

India Today  

Vladimir Putin's move to put Russia's nuclear forces on 'special alert' has slipped the world into a reality where nuclear weapon use is not entirely unimaginable. To use these warheads, China has 280 operational land-based ballistic missiles, 72 sea-based ballistic missiles, and 20 nuclear gravity bombs assigned to bombers. The history of UK stockpile size has not been declassified but …

Keeping a close eye on China’s nuclear capabilities
3 years, 1 month ago

Keeping a close eye on China’s nuclear capabilities

The Hindu  

The only real substantive outcome of last week’s virtual summit between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping has been some unconfirmed reports of the two sides, the United States and China, agreeing to hold strategic nuclear talks sometime in the near future. In April 2020, the U.S. State Department’s Findings on Adherence to and Compliance with Arms Control, Nonproliferation, and …

China may have at least 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030: Pentagon
3 years, 1 month ago

China may have at least 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030: Pentagon

The Hindu  

China is sharply increasing its nuclear arsenal and could have up to 700 deliverable warheads by 2027 and at least 1,000 by 2030, as the Communist giant aims to surpass U.S. global power by the middle of the 21st century, the Pentagon has warned in a new report. The Pentagon's new estimate marks a dramatic increase from the projection reported …

Chinese nuclear warheads may top 1,000 by 2030: Pentagon report
3 years, 1 month ago

Chinese nuclear warheads may top 1,000 by 2030: Pentagon report

India TV News  

China is expanding its nuclear force much faster than US officials predicted just a year ago, highlighting a broad and accelerating buildup of military muscle designed to enable Beijing to match or surpass US global power by mid-century, according to a Pentagon report released on Wednesday. The number of Chinese nuclear warheads could increase to 700 within six years, the …

US predicts China could have 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030
3 years, 1 month ago

US predicts China could have 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030

Al Jazeera  

Pentagon estimates China’s arsenal would be two-and-a-half times the size of what it predicted only a year ago. The new US report said China’s swift military modernisation aims to have the capability by 2027 to overcome any pushback to an effort to reclaim Taiwan, by pressure or military force. By 2027, the report says, China aims to have “the capabilities …

Pentagon warns China is rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal
3 years, 1 month ago

Pentagon warns China is rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal

CNN  

CNN — China is rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal and may have 1,000 nuclear warheads by the end of the decade as it aims to surpass US global influence by the middle of the 21st century, according to a major Pentagon report released on Wednesday. The report comes amid heightened tensions over the issue of Taiwan and was published hours …

US reveals it has more than 3,000 nuclear warheads
3 years, 2 months ago

US reveals it has more than 3,000 nuclear warheads

Daily Mail  

The Biden administration on Tuesday revealed it has more than 3,000 nuclear warheads as it released numbers for the first time since former President Trump stopped publishing numbers. 'Increasing the transparency of states’ nuclear stockpiles is important to nonproliferation and disarmament efforts, including commitments under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and efforts to address all types of nuclear weapons, including deployed …

Keeping an eye on China’s expanding nuclear stack
3 years, 4 months ago

Keeping an eye on China’s expanding nuclear stack

The Hindu  

More evidence emerged recently that the People’s Republic of China is expanding the size of its nuclear arsenal by building more missile silos. The construction of the nuclear missile silo field in Xinjiang region in western China indicates the PRC is fielding a larger nuclear force based on fixed land-based capabilities. The most likely reason behind the current expansion of …

U.S. concern over China nukes buildup after new silos report
3 years, 4 months ago

U.S. concern over China nukes buildup after new silos report

The Hindu  

The Pentagon and Republican congressmen on Tuesday aired fresh concerns about China’s build-up of its nuclear forces after a new report saying Beijing was building 110 more missile silos. The State Department in early July called China’s nuclear buildup concerning and said it appeared Beijing was deviating from decades of nuclear strategy based around minimal deterrence. It called on China …

India, China and Pakistan appear to be expanding their nuclear arsenals, says Swedish think tank study
3 years, 6 months ago

India, China and Pakistan appear to be expanding their nuclear arsenals, says Swedish think tank study

Firstpost  

The study by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said that Russia and the US together possess over 90% of the estimated 13,080 global nuclear weapons New Delhi: China, Pakistan and India have 350, 165 and 156 nuclear warheads respectively as of January this year and the three countries appear to be expanding their nuclear arsenals, a study by Stockholm International …

China, India, Pakistan expanding nuclear arsenal, says Swedish think tank
3 years, 6 months ago

China, India, Pakistan expanding nuclear arsenal, says Swedish think tank

The Hindu  

China is in the middle of a significant modernisation and expansion of its nuclear weapon inventory, and India and Pakistan also appear to be expanding their nuclear arsenals, according to Swedish think tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Year Book 2021 released on Monday. ‘The overall number of warheads in global military stockpiles now appears to be increasing, a worrisome …

How China has been upping its nuclear arsenal while preaching peace to the world
4 years, 2 months ago

How China has been upping its nuclear arsenal while preaching peace to the world

India Today  

A recent interview of a Chinese foreign ministry official by a Russian newspaper on the need to control arms race concealed more than it revealed. Conventional missile power The US Department of Defence Report on Chinese Military Power 2020 indicates that the People’s Liberation Army has become the largest conventional missile power in the world. And it won’t be very …

Pentagon says China could double nuclear weapons in decade
4 years, 3 months ago

Pentagon says China could double nuclear weapons in decade

Live Mint  

China’s stockpile of nuclear weapons numbers in the “low 200s,” the Pentagon told Congress Tuesday, providing its most precise estimate to date of Beijing’s nuclear capabilities. But the Pentagon report projected that China’s nuclear arsenal will at least double in the next decade as Beijing expands and updates its triad of land-based missiles, missile-carrying submarines and bombers. “China’s nuclear forces …

China pushing to double 200-plus nuclear warhead arsenal within 10 years, say Pentagon report
4 years, 3 months ago

China pushing to double 200-plus nuclear warhead arsenal within 10 years, say Pentagon report

Firstpost  

A Pentagon official said the military expansion is part of China’s overall strategy for a sweeping modernisation and to establish itself as a leading global power by 2049 Washington: The Chinese military is pressing to double its 200-plus nuclear warheads within a decade with the ability to launch them aboard ballistic missiles by land, sea and air, the Pentagon said …

China is aiming to double the size of its nuclear arsenal, Pentagon report says
4 years, 3 months ago

China is aiming to double the size of its nuclear arsenal, Pentagon report says

CNN  

Washington CNN — China is attempting to at least double the number of nuclear warheads in its arsenal in the next decade and its military has already equaled or surpassed the United States in a series of key areas, according to a new Pentagon report released Tuesday. “Over the next decade, China’s nuclear warhead stockpile—currently estimated to be in the …

In stand-off, keeping an eye on the nuclear ball
4 years, 5 months ago

In stand-off, keeping an eye on the nuclear ball

The Hindu  

Despite domestic and external challenges, there is now growing evidence that the People’s Republic of China continues to expand its nuclear arsenal, which is worrisome but at the same time, not be surprising. China’s Lop Nur was the site of Chinese sub-critical testing since the PRC adopted a moratorium on hot testing in 1996, enabling China to miniaturise warheads and …

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