The Pentagon has released a comprehensive overview describing a significant growth in China's military capabilities.
According to a Department of Defense analysis, China’s military development now includes a larger naval fleet and advanced nuclear weapons programs, reminiscent of the build-up by Nazi Germany in the 1930s, Fox News reported.
The report, delivered annually to Congress, lays out the dimensions of China's enhanced military posture, with specific attention to nuclear and maritime strength. The Pentagon's findings suggest an aggressive expansion, with China's nuclear arsenal anticipated to contain at least 1,000 warheads by the end of the decade. Furthermore, China's navy has surpassed the U.S. in fleet size, not just in number of ships but also in overall shipbuilding prowess.
Details from the Pentagon report illuminate how the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has integrated 50 new intercontinental ballistic missiles, increasing its capability to target the continental United States directly. Additionally, the arsenal updates include 300 medium-range and 100 long-range cruise missiles.
Today, the total of operational nuclear warheads in China exceeds 600, with expectations to surpass 1,000 by 2030. Moreover, the PLA has harnessed the most sophisticated assembly of hypersonic missiles, capable of evading U.S. missile defenses and posing threats to distant territories including Guam, Hawaii, and Alaska.
The augmentation of China's naval and nuclear forces underscores a broader military strategy aiming not only at regional dominance but also at a significant global military presence.
Another alarming advancement is in the realm of psychological warfare where the PLA is enhancing capabilities through cognitive domain operations (CDO). These operations use AI, big data, and neuroscience to potentially manipulate opponent cognition and behavior during conflicts.
The Pentagon's exhaustive 182-page document also provides insights into China’s strategic objectives to assert global influence and achieve "mind dominance" — a tactic aimed at reducing resistance through psychological means and discouraging international interventions in potential conflicts.
Chuck DeVore, an expert on security and defense issues, stressed the unprecedented scale of this military ramp-up.
China is engaging in an unprecedented military build-up that the world frankly hasn't seen since Adolf Hitler in the 1930s. Navies are much more difficult to build up. And we are way behind. Not only do we need to catch up, but we also need to modernize our nuclear weapons, and we need to put a lot of effort into missile defense.
This colossal military build-up by China not only concerns the expansion of hard capabilities but also involves complex strategic operations aimed at cognitive and psychological dominance in international relations.
Chuck DeVore’s comments highlight a critical challenge for the United States and its allies: the need to modernize and adapt their own military capabilities in response to China's advancements.
As China’s military capacity grows, particularly its nuclear and naval expansion, combined with its pioneering developments in psychological warfare, the international community may need to recalibrate its approach to global security and conflict management.
In light of ongoing tensions and the strategic pivots described in the Pentagon’s report, the international security landscape appears to be at a critical juncture, calling for vigilant oversight and strategic foresight from global leaders and policymakers. The expanding capabilities of China’s military force not only redefine its own stance but also push the global security architecture towards a new era of power dynamics.
