MARITIME MATTERS

摘要

The Chinese government's rapid military buildup across all domains is a "strategic breakout" from its minimum deterrent nuclear posture to one that can coerce other nations, the commander of U.S. strategic forces warned Aug. 25. Rapid expansion of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) silos, road mobile ICBMs, six or more Jin-Class ballistic missile submarines carrying nuclear weapons that can reach the continental United States from the South China Sea, and bombers armed with air-launched ballistic missiles have given China a "true triad" of sea, air and land nuclear capability, said Adm. Charles Richard, head of U.S. Strategic Command. Given the changing threat environment, "right now is the ideal time" for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's planned reviews of the national defense strategy, nuclear posture and missile defense, Richard said. "We have never before had two peer nuclear-capable opponents [Russia and China] that have to be deterred at the same time, [but] we have to deter differently."