OMAHA—China is aggressively building up nuclear warfighting forces as part of a larger effort to expand power over Asia and globally, according to senior officials of the U.S. Strategic Command.
Vice Admiral David Kriete, deputy commander of the command, said he is concerned by China’s rapidly growing nuclear arsenal when combined with other alarming activities in the South China Sea and elsewhere.
“China is and has been for the last couple of decades on a very clear trajectory where they’re increasing the numbers of nuclear weapons that they field, they’re increasing the number of and diversity of the delivery systems,” Kriete said in a press briefing.
“They are working on fielding a triad—ballistic missile submarines, strategic bombers, and land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles.”
In addition to a delivery system, Beijing is expanding its nuclear weapons production capabilities that will “allow them to continue on this trend or actually increase it in the future should they so choose,” the three-star admiral said. – READ MORE