{"id":51998,"date":"2021-03-01T22:37:36","date_gmt":"2021-03-01T22:37:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/03\/01\/satellite-images-suggest-china-hastening-efforts-for-more-survivable-nuclear-force-expert-says\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T08:05:54","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T08:05:54","slug":"satellite-images-suggest-china-hastening-efforts-for-more-survivable-nuclear-force-expert-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/03\/01\/satellite-images-suggest-china-hastening-efforts-for-more-survivable-nuclear-force-expert-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Satellite images suggest China hastening efforts for more survivable nuclear force, expert says"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 China appears to be moving faster toward a capability to launch its newer nuclear missiles from underground silos, possibly to improve its ability to respond promptly to a nuclear attack, according to an American expert who analyzed satellite images of recent construction at a missile training area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hans Kristensen, a longtime watcher of U.S., Russian and Chinese nuclear forces, said the imagery suggests that China is seeking to counter what it may view as a growing threat from the United States. The U.S. in recent years has pointed to China\u2019s nuclear modernization as a key justification for investing hundreds of billions of dollars in the coming two decades to build an all-new U.S. nuclear arsenal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no indication the United States and China are headed toward armed conflict<\/a>, let alone a nuclear one. But the Kristensen report comes at a time of heightened U.S.-China tensions across a broad spectrum, from trade to national security. A stronger Chinese nuclear force could factor into U.S. calculations for a military response <\/a>to aggressive Chinese actions, such as in Taiwan or the South China Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\t