China boosts nuclear strike capability in face of growing rivalry with US, report says
- The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists estimates that the PLA has increased the number of ballistic missile brigades by around a third
- Study also estimates that country has around 350 nuclear warheads, most designed for land-based missiles
The Chinese military has increased the number of ballistic missile brigades by around a third in the past three years to enhance its nuclear strike capabilities amid escalating tensions with the US, a report has concluded.
The People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force now has 40 brigades, a 35 per cent increase compared with 2017, with more being formed, according to the study published by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists on Thursday.
The report estimated about half the brigades had ballistic or cruise missile launchers, and the number is likely to grow when the construction of further missile bases is completed.
The report said 12 of the brigades were in the Eastern and Southern theatre commands, which focus on the Taiwan Strait and the disputed South China Sea.
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“The expansion of ballistic missile brigades could be seen as an achievement of the PLA’s unprecedented military overhaul, when the Second Artillery Corps divided from the [ground force] and to become the independent Rocket Force in late 2015,” Hong Kong-based military commentator Song Zhongping, a former instructor with the Second Artillery Corps, said.
“As it plays a key role specialising in the asymmetric strategy, the Rocket Force needs to be expanded and enhance its special advantages to help China counter the increasing challenge posed by the United States.”