Posted on 03/04/2022 6:49:45 PM PST by blam
Adm. Charles Richard, head of the U.S. Strategic Command, said it has become imperative for the United States to have the capability to defend against Russia and China at the same time.
“Today, we face two nuclear-capable near-peers who have the capability to unilaterally escalate a conflict to any level of violence in any domain worldwide, with any instrument of national power, and that is historically significant,” Richard told the House Armed Services Committee on March 1.
He pointed out that while the need to deter both China and Russia at the same time was only at the level of major concern in April last year, the concern “has now become a reality.”
“That need is now an imperative.”
In April 2021, he told lawmakers at another congressional hearing (pdf) that the United States for the first time in history was “on a trajectory to face two nuclear-capable, strategic peer adversaries at the same time.”
Months later, he said the United States was “witnessing a strategic breakout by China,” adding that the Chinese regime’s “explosive growth and modernization of its nuclear and conventional forces” was “breathtaking.”
“Last fall, I formally reported to the secretary of defense, the PRC’s [People’s Republic of China] strategic breakout,” Richard said. “Their expansion and modernization in 2021 alone is breathtaking.”
China and Russia pose a threat to the United States now more than ever, as the two neighboring countries currently boast a “no-limits” partnership, according to a statement released following a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Feb. 4.
Last summer, China reportedly tested nuclear-capable hypersonic missiles, prompting Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley to say the tests were very close to a “Sputnik moment.” Additionally, there were reports that China was building hundreds of new nuclear silos.
In November 2021, the Pentagon warned that China might have as many as 1,000 deliverable nuclear missiles by 2030.
So far, China hasn’t slowed down in its pursuit of hypersonic weapons, according to Gen. Glen VanHerck, head of the U.S. Northern Command.
“They’re aggressively pursuing hypersonic capability, tenfold to what we have done as far as testing within the last year or so, significantly outpacing us with their capabilities,” he said at the hearing.
As for the current U.S. defensive posture, Richard said he felt quite confident.
“I am satisfied with the posture of my forces. I have made no recommendations to make any changes,” he said. “The nation’s nuclear command and control is in its most defended, most resilient lineup that it’s ever been in its history.”
However, Richard told lawmakers that it’s important to keep monitoring China’s development.
“We don’t know the endpoint of where China is going in terms of the capabilities it’s developing and the capacities that it’s developing,” he said.
“While I’m very confident we’re going to wind up with a very good strategy, I think it will need to be a question that we continue to ask ourselves as we see where China goes, as we see where others go. What are the overall capability and capacity that the United States requires in order to execute that strategy against a changing threat.
“We’re going to have to ask that question much more frequently than we have in the past.”
Does radiation kill the ‘rona?
More woke training, that’s the answer. Right Admiral?
Joek won’t lift a finger to push the nuclear button if we’re attacked.
I smell BS .
The Chinese military is all binaries. We need more non binaries to counteract their binaries.
As long as they take out DC and Delaware first (you can never tell where Brandon will be cowering with his pudding cup). Only then will I believe them.
Funny how a midterm election has the globalist ratchetIng up events to help the rats...red wave my butt! Watch and learn ...the reset has just been launched to full throttle!
OK yeah, but no more mean tweets!
Let’s give the Democrats their due credit - they DROVE Russia into China’s arms long before this Ukraine crap.
We are in WW3. We cannot avoid it, the longer we wait to participate the harder it will be...
A nuclear exchange would not kill everyone. There would just be more Chicom’s left standing.
We pushed for the Ukrainian revolution, we weaponized Ukraine against Russia and we backed the Ukrainian government as it associated with neo-Nazi Azov battalion.
It's the same debacle we created Syria all over again.
Our foreign policy has pushed us into a second Cold War and aligned Russia with China.
The madness must end. We need a foreign policy that puts out national interest first and stops stirring up conflicts that come back to bite us.
“The nation’s nuclear command and control is in its most defended, most resilient lineup that it’s ever been in its history.”
Who does this give me zero comfort?
Lessee—EMP pulse knocks out ground communications and hostiles attack communication satellites, and sub commanders don’t know what is happening for x minutes. When do they launch?
Command and control is the fatal flaw in all nuclear doctrine—all sides.
“A nuclear exchange would not kill everyone. There would just be more Chicom’s left standing.”
I realize that. And second to Chicoms will be Russians, thanks to their massive civil defenses. We’d be the only major country reduced to rubble (of the three).
These bastards are anxious for WW3. What has them so riled up about Russia? Is putin after the servers in Ukraine? Is that why this bastards are willing to risk nuclear war?
We must have mail-in ballots in the midterms because of Russian invasion of Ukraine... yeah that’s the ticket!
We should have teamed up with Russia years ago. Now, Russia and China have teamed up against the US.
Have had a strange feeling for a while about the US taking a nuke hit somewhere. Can't put my finger on where this feeling comes from, it's just there.
Funny, I've been prepping for several different scenarios, but that wasn't one of them.
But first we must address the proper pronouns for our multi-gendered military so they can focus on the real threat of CO2.
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