- China missiles filled with water, not fuel: US intelligence
- Xi seeking to root out corruption, prepare military for combat
US intelligence indicates that President Xi Jinping’s sweeping military purge came after it emerged that widespread corruption undermined his efforts to modernize the armed forces and raised questions about China’s ability to fight a war, according to people familiar with the assessments.
The corruption inside China’s Rocket Force and throughout the nation’s defense industrial base is so extensive that US officials now believe Xi is less likely to contemplate major military action in the coming years than would otherwise have been the case, according to the people, who asked not to be named discussing intelligence.
A 1 minute google search would have revealed that the main ICBM used by the PLA uses a liquid fuel rocket. It is being replaced with the DF-41, but it is very likely DF-5 is the missile being referenced by the article.
The DF-5s are used in two main operational modes: erecting a mobile launch platform commonly on rails (missiles stored inside mountain tunnels) or stored vertically and ready to launch in silos.
China has maintained a sort of minimalistic nuclear deterrent for years - I think very responsibly - where a handful of quick to launch and well hidden nuclear weapons ensure other powers don’t get too uppity. The pre-fueled missiles in silos therefore represent an essential retaliatory strike component for China’s nuclear deterrent.
Although embarrassing, this sort of corruption can cause catastrophic consequences. I would be happy that rotten apples like this are rooted out.
I disagree. ICBMs serve no purpose in a war unless you’ve already lost. Nuclear strike capability is suicidal and China’s no-first-use policy makes ICBMs completely irrelevant to the discussion of China’s war capability (particularly w.r.t. Taiwan and the SCS).
You don’t launch nuclear weapons unless you’ve lost and you want the other side to lose, too.
I don’t think there is such a thing as a responsible number of nuclear weapons.
I agree with you in principle, but in a world where some countries do possess nuclear weapons, the calculus is a lot more complex.
In addition, possession of a nuclear weapon appears to be a comparatively effective way to quarantee territorial integrity. Would Russia have started their war of aggression in Ukraine if the Ukrainians still had nuclear capability?
I have concluded that like all technology, there is a responsible and irresponsible way of having these weapons. It’s a technology that’s surely more trouble than it’s worth, but the genie is out and since it is, it’s worthwhile to recognise the responsible ways of using it.