The combined number of nuclear weapons of China and Russia could exceed the number of nuclear weapons (nuclear weapons) of the United States if Beijing and Moscow are “amazingly fast” develop this industry.
This was stated on February 29, during a hearing in the US Senate Armed Services Committee, by General Anthony Cotton, commander of the US Strategic Command.
Buildup of nuclear weapons
According to him, in conditions when the United States' competitors are modernizing and expanding their nuclear arsenals, American troops need to rely on further rapid modernization of their own nuclear weapons systems.
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He noted that with the “amazingly fast” development of nuclear weapons in the Russian Federation and China, in the period until 2035 the total amount of nuclear weapons of these states may exceed the amount of similar weapons in the United States. The general added that in parallel with this, China is trying to achieve parity with the United States in land-based nuclear weapons.
He also noted that countries like North Korea and Iran are making moves in this area, adding a new dimension of complexity to Washington's strategic calculations.
At the same time, the commander of the US Strategic Command assures that US strategic nuclear forces “are ready to fight today” if deterrents fail.
Nuclear threats to the Russian Federation
In parallel with this, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 29 that the strategic nuclear forces of the Russian Federation are in full combat readiness. According to him, Western countries supposedly need to realize that the Russian Federation has weapons that are capable of hitting targets “on their territory”.
