You don't know, and you have to assume that," he said. That is precisely how the shell game works. "If there are silos, you have to take them seriously as being full. The US military pursued a similar strategy during the Cold War. Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at MIIS, suspects that China will employ a "shell game" strategy, putting missiles in only some of the silos. Silos are much more vulnerable than some alternative launch platforms because they do not move, making them easy to find and even easier to target, but with enough silos and modern missile technology, they can be advantageous. Sharing a report on the findings, US Strategic Command tweeted this week that "the public has discovered what we have been saying all along about the growing threat the world faces and the veil of secrecy that surrounds it." The country's older silos are scattered, isolated, and somewhat camouflaged. The silos are grouped but spaced roughly two miles apart in grid patterns, which is very different from the way China has approached silos in the past. The Hami site, which is still in the early stages of construction, is roughly 300 square miles and the Yumen site is around 700 square miles. Silo construction is clearly visible and appears to be underway in Hami in Xinjiang province, Yumen in Gansu province, and Jinlantai in Inner Mongolia. In recent months, analysts with the Federation of American Scientists and the Middlebury Institute of International Studies relying on commercial satellite images have found that China is constructing what looks like around 250 new missile silos. To some experts Insider talked to, the huge silo fields look to be China's answer to rivals that have a lot more nuclear weapons. See more stories on Insider's business page.Ĭhina appears to be building hundreds of new silos to house intercontinental ballistic missiles, raising some questions about its intentions. ![]() Silos are vulnerable, but with enough of them and the right missiles, they can be advantageous. It is assumed that these silos will house the new DF-41 intercontinental ballistic missiles. AP Photo/Mark SchiefelbeinĮxperts have identified what appear to be hundreds of new missile silos under construction in China. China's new DF-41 ICBMs were showcased as road-mobile missiles, but China may be planning to put them in the ground.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |