China May Put Its Nuclear Forces on ‘Hair-Trigger Alert’

The Chinese military displays its DF-5B missiles during a military parade in Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Sept. 3, 2015. The Chinese regime may put its nuclear forces on “hair-trigger” alert. (Rolex Dela Pena/AFP/Getty Images)

 

The Chinese regime may be changing its policy on nuclear weapons, from one based on “survivability” to one that has its missiles ready to launch at any moment.

Recent discussions in the Chinese military “suggest pressure is building to change China’s nuclear posture,” says a new report from the Union of Concerned Scientists.

It may be moving, the report says, “toward a policy of launch-on-warning and hair-trigger alert.”

China Flight Tests Multi-Warhead Missile

New DF-41 long-range missile program advances

China conducted a flight test of a new multi-warhead ballistic missile capable of reaching targets throughout the United States, Pentagon officials said.

The test of the new DF-41 intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, took place Dec. 4.

The latest flight test demonstrated the use of two multiple independently-targetable reentry vehicles. The missile launch and dummy warheads were tracked by satellites to an impact range in western China.

PLA’s DF-5B ICBM very tough to intercept: Hong Kong media

With the ability to launch eight warheads simultaneously, China’s DF-5B intercontinental ballistic missile will be extremely difficult for the United States and its allies to intercept, reports Hong Kong’s Ta Kung Pao.

PLA to showcase new advanced ICBM in V-J Day parade

Military analyst Leung Kwok-leung told CNA that the People’s Liberation Army has replaced its DF-5 missiles with the DF-5A series since the former’s public appearance in a military parade in 1984. Leung said he personally believes that DF-5B, which has never been shown to the public before, is the same model as one reported earlier as the DF-51 missile.

PLA’s new DF-5B liquid-fuel ICBM ‘can hit any target on Earth’

 

China is believed to be developing a new DF-5B liquid-fuel missile that will be able to strike any target on the planet, reports our Chinese-language sister paper Want Daily.

The People’s Liberation Army’s current or in-development arsenal of long-range strategic intercontinental missiles (ICBMs) are led by the DF-31A, the DF-41 and the JL-2, all of which feature solid-fuel rockets.

Inside China: Nuclear submarines capable of widespread attack on U.S.

Keep in mind that these are official quotes from officially approved state-run media. This is not some fantasy war game or conspiracy. They are displaying their capability in the open.

Chinese state-run media revealed for the first time this week that Beijing’s nuclear submarines can attack American cities as a means to counterbalance U.S. nuclear deterrence in the Pacific.

On Monday, leading media outlets including China Central TV, the People’s Daily, the Global Times, the PLA Daily, the China Youth Daily and the Guangmin Daily ran identical, top-headlined reports about the “awesomeness” of the People’s Liberation Army navy’s strategic submarine force.