China continues to make more operational nuclear warheads.Xinhua News Agency/Xinhua News Agency via Getty ImagesChina's nuclear arsenal now stands at 600 warheads, according to the Pentagon.Its new estimate means Beijing is still tracking to reach 1,000 nukes by 2030.It's not just about sheer quantity. The US says China is building a wide range of launch methods too.China has been fielding over 600 operational nuclear warheads since mid-2024, up from about 500 last year, according to an estimate by the Pentagon.That reported growth puts Beijing on track to hit 1,000 warheads by 2030, a prediction that US defense officials made in 2021.Those findings come from the Defense Department's 2024 China Military Power Report, an annual summary of Beijing's capabilities and an assessment of its ambitions for its armed forces.The Pentagon says China isn't just making more warheads — it's building a wide array of capabilities to launch them, too."When you look at what they're trying to build here, it's a diversified nuclear force that would be comprised of systems ranging from low yield, precision strike missiles, all the way up to ICBMs with different options at basically every rung on the escalation ladder," a senior defense official told reporters at a briefing on Monday.
China Has 600 Nukes Already, And It Wants To Beat Us Missile Defenses, The Pentagon Says
mloh@businessinsider.com (Matthew Loh), Business Insider
Wed, 12/18/2024 - 10:46pm
Topics: xinhua news agency/xinhua news agency getty imageschina military power report cold war western the prc united states earth america chinese china in pentagon beijing defense department us russia washington business insider nukes missile defenses nuclear launch systems estimate methods arms strike advanced operational capabilities range wide track hypersonic official edge cost build-up icbms weapons orbital
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