Biden Nuclear Posture Review Calls for Weapons “Flexibility” to Counter China

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By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

(Washington D.C.)  China’s nuclear ambitions are indeed well known and, not surprisingly, the subject of much Pentagon attention, as evidenced by the recently published Nuclear Posture Review and a steady flow of DoD reports specifying the China threat. 

The People’s Republic of China-Army, according to numerous reports, is planning to double the size of its arsenal of nuclear warheads in coming years and is making specific and visible efforts to engineer ground silos for new land-fired ICBMs. 

Meanwhile, alongside this well known Chinese effort to simply expand the size and scope of its nuclear arsenal, the PRC is also exploring new, dual-use applications of its conventional weapons to introduce new nuclear weapons attack possibilities. 

For instance, the 2021 Pentagon report on China’s military raised the concerning possibility that the People’s Liberation Army may well convert its well-known DF-26 “carrier-killer” anti-ship missile into a low-yield tactical nuclear weapon. The report also cites the emergence of Chinese long-range JL-3 submarine launched nuclear missiles. 

These emerging nuclear weapons possibilities clearly present new threat dimensions given the range and scope of these weapons. The DF-26, for instance, is widely reported to be capable of hitting large Navy surface platforms with precision guidance from ranges up to 2,000 miles.