The Drive:

By now, it’s no secret that the Chinese government is in the midst of a significant expansion of its strategic nuclear arsenal. This includes the unexpected construction of hundreds of new silos for intercontinental ballistic missiles and the more novel development of a fractional orbital bombardment system that utilizes a hypersonic glide vehicle. A new Pentagon report has highlighted progress on a much more expected, but nevertheless significant capability. This is the development and fielding of longer-range submarine-launched ballistic missiles that could be fired from less vulnerable “bastions” closer to the mainland, maybe even while in port.

The Pentagon released the unclassified version of its annual report to Congress on Chinese military and security developments earlier today. The review, which is just over 190 pages long, covers a wide variety of developments that are not strictly limited to nuclear deterrence. This includes a first-ever mention of the Chinese development of a next-generation “tactical bomber,” along with the H-20 advanced strategic bomber, bringing it in line with a public Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) report from 2019. China continues to build large numbers of other combat aircraft, as well as ships and ground-based weapon systems, as it expands and modernizes its conventional forces…

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