WASHINGTON: A Pentagon report has predicted China will “at least double” the size of its nuclear warhead stockpile over the next decade.
The Pentagon’s annual “China Military Power” report to Congress released Tuesday said China’s modernization and expansion of its nuclear force is part of a broader effort aimed at matching, and in some cases surpassing, the United States military by 2049 as the dominant power in the Indo-Pacific region.
According to the report, the number of Chinese nuclear warheads is currently estimated to be slightly more than 200 and includes those that can be fitted to ballistic missiles capable of reaching the United States, the VOA reported.
This is the first time the Pentagon has stated a specific number of Chinese warheads, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Chad Sbragia said.
“We’re certainly concerned about the numbers,” VOA quoted Sbragia as saying, “but also just the trajectory of China’s nuclear developments writ large.”
(With inputs from VOA)
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