Leading Republicans on Capitol Hill are alarmed over reports that China has more land-based nuclear missile launchers than the United States. Some are proposing that the United States should increase its arsenal to keep up.
Although the United States still has more warheads and intercontinental ballistic missiles, four GOP leaders on the House and Senate Armed Services committees said the disclosure about China’s nuclear capability, made in a letter from the top commander of the U.S. nuclear forces on January 26, is a warning that Beijing’s arsenal is expanding faster than anticipated.
According to House Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), Senate Armed Services Ranking Member Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.), and Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) in a joint statement, “This should serve as a wake-up call for the United States.” “To say that China’s nuclear modernization program is moving along more quickly than most people anticipated is not an understatement.
The lawmakers said, “We have no time to squander in changing our nuclear military posture to deter Russia and China. Higher numbers and new capabilities will be required.
The two leading Republicans on the Armed Services panels that regulate nuclear weapons programs are Lamborn and Fischer.
Gen. Anthony Cotton, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, wrote to legislators on January 26 that while China has more permanent and mobile land-based launchers for ICBMs than the United States, China nevertheless maintains a greater inventory of ICBMs and nuclear weapons. The Wall Street Journal first reported the letter.
The details were sent in response to a letter from Republicans Rogers, Lamborn, Fischer, and Jim Inhofe, the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services at the time, in December.
After a Chinese surveillance balloon traveled across the United States before being shot down last week, the discovery is likely only to increase the commotion in Washington over Beijing.
On Thursday, representatives from the Biden administration will brief the entire Senate on the balloon. According to leaders, the House will likely shortly receive a briefing. Furthermore, House Republicans are considering a resolution denouncing China for the controversy.
Republicans have first focused on China’s military expansion, notably its nuclear capabilities and a potential invasion of Taiwan.
Tuesday marked the first hearing by the House Armed Services on the danger presented by China. Rogers brought up the ICBM launcher news during the discussion and warned of China’s nuclear buildup, pleading with Washington to take quick action to prevent Beijing.
“[Chinese Communist Party] nuclear capabilities are growing quickly. In just two years, they have doubled their warheads, Rogers stated at the start of the hearing on Tuesday. We predicted that it would take them ten years to complete that.
In addition, to fielding new weapons introduced under the Trump administration’s 2018 nuclear program, the United States is undergoing a lengthy refurbishment of all three components of its nuclear arsenal.
Onboard submarines that launch ballistic missiles and low-yield warheads have been used. Additionally, money for a new sea-launched nuclear cruise missile that the Biden administration sought to scrap has been protected by Congress.
