President Joe Biden is facing yet another foreign policy confrontation as China is reportedly making major military moves.
"Rapid construction at three suspected silo fields in China -- which could eventually be capable of launching long-range nuclear missiles -- appears to indicate that Beijing is putting substantial efforts and resources into the development of its nuclear capabilities, according to analysis of new commercial satellite images. Experts from the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), a nonpartisan national security research and advocacy organization, found that China has made significant progress on suspected silo fields in the western part of the country," CNN reported Tuesday.
The report came one day after the same commercial satellite provider, Maxar Technologies, showed Russia massing troops on the border with Ukraine.
"For China, this is an unprecedented nuclear buildup. We and others have remarked that it raises questions and uncertainty about China's minimum nuclear deterrent and policies," FAS said in the report. "The apparent 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."
The authors of the report warned of a nuclear arms race.
"It is important that the buildup does not further increase nuclear competition and fuel worst-case planning in other nuclear weapon states, although we fear those are likely outcomes. These developments will feature prominently in the Biden administration's ongoing Nuclear Posture Review and we urge the administration not to overreact but pursue conversations with the Chinese government to develop measures to reduce tension and increase transparency," the report noted.
The silos are being built under inflatable domes.
Using some phenomenal new imagery from @planet and @Maxar, @nukestrat and I put together a big update on China\u2019s suspected missile silos.\n\nWe break down the different types of inflatable domes, as well as what\u2019s underneath them. https://fas.org/blogs/security/2021/11/a-closer-look-at-chinas-missile-silo-construction/\u00a0\u2026— Matt Korda (@Matt Korda) 1635860465
And here\u2019s CNN great story about the new imagery and our analysis!https://edition.cnn.com/2021/11/02/politics/china-suspected-silo-fields-report/index.html\u00a0\u2026— Matt Korda (@Matt Korda) 1635861830
