With The Modernization Of China's And Russia's Nuclear Forces, America’s Aging Nuclear Weapons Come Under Scrutiny

The W76-2 will be launched aboard Trident II D5 missiles. (Ronald Gutridge/U.S. Navy)

Washington Examiner: America’s aging nuclear weapons come under scrutiny as Russia and China build up their arsenals

CHINA’S MASSIVE MISSILE FIELDS: Using commercial satellite imagery, the Federation of American Scientists has documented an ambitious program by China to dramatically expand its ability to launch hundreds of nuclear weapons, identifying two fields of missile silos under construction which would accommodate roughly 230 ICBMs.

The group calls the silo construction “the most significant expansion of the Chinese nuclear arsenal ever.”

For decades, China has maintained about 20 silos for liquid-fuel DF-5 ICBMs under its so-called “minimum credible deterrent” strategy and was believed to have an arsenal of around 300 nuclear warheads.

By adding 120 silos to a site at Yumen, another 110 silos at Hami, and counting expansion of an existing site, China appears headed toward a total of 250 new silos under construction — more than ten times the number of ICBM silos in operation today.

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WNU Editor: For Washington the big issue is the cost .... Estimated Cost of US Nuclear Modernization Jumps During More Expensive Phase (Defense One).

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