The W76-2 will be launched aboard Trident II D5 missiles. (Ronald Gutridge/U.S. Navy)
Washington Examiner: America’s aging nuclear weapons come under scrutiny as Russia and China build up their arsenals
CHINA’S MASSIVE MISSILE FIELDS: Using commercial satellite imagery, the Federation of American Scientists has documented an ambitious program by China to dramatically expand its ability to launch hundreds of nuclear weapons, identifying two fields of missile silos under construction which would accommodate roughly 230 ICBMs.
The group calls the silo construction “the most significant expansion of the Chinese nuclear arsenal ever.”
For decades, China has maintained about 20 silos for liquid-fuel DF-5 ICBMs under its so-called “minimum credible deterrent” strategy and was believed to have an arsenal of around 300 nuclear warheads.
By adding 120 silos to a site at Yumen, another 110 silos at Hami, and counting expansion of an existing site, China appears headed toward a total of 250 new silos under construction — more than ten times the number of ICBM silos in operation today.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: For Washington the big issue is the cost .... Estimated Cost of US Nuclear Modernization Jumps During More Expensive Phase (Defense One).
2 comments:
We've been having this discussion sine the middle of Trump's 1st term. People complained it was too expensive then and they are complaining now. Maybe they just like to c0omplain. maybe they are pissed because unless they are the board of a defense company as director, they won't get a cut. They get much bigger cuts to put in their pockets when they send money to the poor via a nonprofit. The poor remain poor but the top tier nonprofit execs make out like bandits.
The thinking is that Russia is run by a corrupt oligarchy from 1991 until now. Well maybe the US is run by an even more corrupt oligarchy and they are incompetent to boot.
IF you think the cost of upgrades are too much you fucking audit and you audit and then you audit some more. You'll need a knowledge of engineering, science, accounting or business. You cannot be all of those, but you can have people on your staff to cover it. Nah, all these guys like to do is generically talk bout cist overruns and crap.
Nah, the real kicker is they opportunity cost. People want to buy votes and tribally carve up the pie. Having to spend money on real needs cramps their style.
Nuclear is costly, of course. But being slave of Chine will be much much more.
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