China's Evolving Strategic Arsenal
China's Evolving Strategic Arsenal
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China continues to expand the number, sophistication and reach of its ballistic missiles, a new assessment from the Pentagon has assessed. "China is modernizing its longer-range ballistic missile force" and "introducing a new road-mobile, solid-propellant, intercontinental-range ballistic missile (ICBM), the DF-31" that is capable of targeting "most of the world," according to the Defense Department's annual report to Congress on Chinese military power, released publicly on May 24th. Beijing is also increasing the "tempo" of its ballistic missile tests and "developing qualitative upgrades" to its anti-missile defense capabilities, the study says.
The implications of these upgrades are profound. "Analysis of PLA acquisitions... suggests China is generating military capabilities that would have utility beyond" a military conflict over Taiwan, the study says. Rather, China appears to be increasingly interested in acquiring the ability to project power beyond East Asia, and "the PLA's capability for limited and relatively precise uses of force is growing, expanding the military options available to PRC leaders."
