China may have more nuclear warheads for Dongfeng-41 intercontinental ballistic missiles than the U.S. has for Minuteman III
The U.S. military is concerned that the Chinese army may have more nuclear warheads for intercontinental ballistic missiles than the U.S. military.
Here's What We Know
The U.S. nuclear arsenal is overseen by Strategic Command. The Service states that the United States has lost numerical superiority over the PRC in some components of the ballistic missile program.
The Strategic Command is required to notify the Pentagon if China has more intercontinental ballistic missiles, launchers or nuclear warheads than the United States. The service has sent a classified notice to Congress that likely indicates that China has been able to mount more nuclear warheads on its missiles than the United States.
This was stated by Jeffrey Lewis, head of the East Asia Nuclear Nonproliferation Program. He is confident that it is the third condition that has not been met. China is actively building up the number of nuclear warheads, and if the current pace is maintained, their number will increase to 1,500 by the middle of the next decade.
According to U.S. military data, China currently has three hundred intercontinental ballistic missiles and an equal number of launchers. The United States is outnumbered in this regard, with 400 missiles and 450 launchers.
But there is an important nuance. The American Minuteman III is capable of carrying only one nuclear warhead. Meanwhile, the Chinese have managed to equip their Dongfeng-41 intercontinental missiles with "several" warheads. Jeffrey Lewis notes that in this case, 300 Dongfeng-41 can easily carry more than four hundred nuclear warheads. Though, if each side launches 300 missiles in case of a conflict, the small advantage of China will hardly play any role.
The U.S. Congress has not commented on this information. However, one of the representatives of the legislative body stated that the US authorities must work on the issues of secrecy and inform the public about the growing Chinese threat.
Source: Defense News
