Biden has emptied the arsenal for his pal Zelensky in Ukraine leaving the US and its defence partner Australia in a hole should China flex its burgeoning military strength. Pic President Xi with Navy personnel

From the Washington Stand

A new report released by the Department of Defense is highlighting a vast military buildup being undertaken by China. Experts say the report is an important snapshot of the expansionist goals of Xi Jinping’s communist regime but warn that the true nature of China’s military ambitions is likely far more aggressive and poses a graver threat to the U.S. than what is commonly believed.

The report details that since 2023, China has added 50 new intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) that are capable of striking the U.S., increasing their total to 400. In addition, they have added 300 medium-range ballistic missiles, 100 long-range cruise missiles, and over 600 operational nuclear warheads. It also notes that hypersonic DF-27 missiles designed to evade U.S. defenses are positioned to potentially strike Guam, Hawaii, and Alaska?. As for China’s navy, which is already the largest in the world at 370 ships and submarines, it is expected to increase to 435 by 2030.

National security experts such as Lt. Col. (Ret.) Chuck DeVore say that “like Nazi Germany’s buildup in the 1930s, the militarization program ordered by the Chinese Communist Party [CCP] isn’t simply a great power buildup — it’s a weapon in service of a deadly ideology.”

The Pentagon report also notes that the CCP’s stated military objectives are to accelerate the modernization of its armed forces by 2027 for a possible invasion of Taiwan, to “complete the modernization of national defense and the military” by 2035, and to “fully transform the people’s armed forces into world-class forces” by 2049, the 100th anniversary of the CCP’s establishment of communist China.

But DeVore warns that “these timelines should be treated with skepticism. They are likely deliberate deceptions aimed at lulling adversaries into complacency or disguising China’s actual state of readiness. The pace of China’s missile expansion and cognitive warfare preparations suggests that Beijing’s capabilities likely exceed what is required for these projected milestones.”

Similarly, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Bob Maginnis, Family Research Council’s senior fellow for National Security, cautions that the DOD report does not accurately assess what China spends on its military.

“The PRC’s investment in its military is typically understated by the Pentagon,” he told The Washington Stand. “The 2024 Pentagon report understates the PRC’s defense budget at $330-450 billion. By comparison, the 2024 U.S. Commission on National Defense Strategy (CNDS) pegs China’s defense investment at $711 billion in 2023. That report cites Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, who has stated that ‘China’s military budget is likely three times what Beijing publicly claims, which would put it at about $700 billion annually.’”

Other experts say that the recent development of purges of top Chinese military officials for supposed corruption and disloyalty to Xi Jinping indicates that there is some ongoing instability within China’s armed forces. “Xi Jinping doesn’t trust his flag officers in the best of times, and now is certainly not the best of times,” Gordon Chang, distinguished senior fellow at the Gatestone Institute, told TWS. “There’s turmoil in the military. We know this because we can see the purges, we can see the suicides and the personnel rotations.”

Chang also pointed out that China’s communist chain of command is a weakness. “The problem with China’s military is that it’s a communist military, which means it has two reporting lines, which means that it’s not going to be able to respond in a wartime situation.”

Nonetheless, Chang acknowledged that “Americans probably are underestimating China’s military strength from any number of different perspectives. So we have to be concerned that the Pentagon report does not fully capture the capabilities of the Chinese military.”

Maginnis went on to contend that the U.S. military is currently not up to the challenge of directly deterring China. “The U.S.’s active military is two-thirds the size it should be, operates old equipment, and many of its operators lack the required level of readiness,” he remarked. “Overall, our armed forces are weak, and we accept significant risk should we fall into a global war.”

“A major shortfall is our defense industrial base, which continues to underperform,” Maginnis continued. “Our industrial base cannot be quickly upgraded, and our arsenals, which were emptied by the Biden administration to supply the Ukraine war, will take years to replenish.” He added that the U.S. “isn’t attracting sufficient numbers of capable recruits, which undermines our overall readiness.”

DeVore concurred, further arguing that the incoming Trump administration must prioritize rebuilding the military in order to counter the threat from Beijing.

“To effectively counter China’s ambitions, the U.S. must rebuild its fleet, modernize its nuclear arsenal, expand missile defenses, and restore maritime lift capability,” he asserted. “… In short order, President-elect Donald Trump’s national security team must start to rebuild the Navy with more surface combatants, submarines, and support vessels to counter China’s maritime dominance. America’s aging nuclear arsenal requires upgrades to ensure credible deterrence against China’s rapidly growing stockpile of advanced warheads and delivery systems.”

DeVore concluded by expressing confidence that Trump’s administration will “understand” the threat posed by China. “With Pete Hegseth at the helm of the Pentagon, and other key positions filled by people who understand the danger and the urgency of the situation, it comes down to whether Congress will join in the effort to preserve peace through strength.”

https://washingtonstand.com/news/chinas-military-buildup-must-be-met-with-us-strength-experts-say-