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☆ US Pacific bases and aircraft are wildly vulnerable to Chinese missile barrages that could overwhelm defenses, lawmakers warn
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewUS bases and aircraft in the Pacific are facing intense threat from Chinese missiles, and the Pentagon isn't doing enough to counter that challenge, according to American lawmakers. In a Wednesday letter to Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall and Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro, 13 members of Congress pointed out glaring vulnerabilities in the Pacific region and demanded "immediate changes." A U.S. Air Force Rockwell B-1B Lancer (L) and a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker (R) sit on the tarmac at Andersen Air Force base on August 17, 2017, in Yigo, Guam. Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesIn the letter, lawmakers note that many of the US bases in the Pacific remain unhardened, leaving aircraft and assets vulnerable to missile strikes. Notably, none of the US shelters were in Guam — home to Andersen Air Force Base which routinely hosts American bombers.

Persons: —, Frank Kendall, Carlos Del Toro, John Moolenaar, Justin Sullivan, Tom Shugart, Timothy A, Walton, Andy Wong Organizations: Service, Pentagon, Air Force, Business, Department of Defense, Chinese Communist Party Rep, Commonwealth of, Pacific ., U.S . Air Force Rockwell, Boeing KC, Andersen Air Force, US, Center, New, New American Security, Hudson Institute, Andersen Air Force Base, American, People's Liberation Army Rocket Force, Lawmakers, Rocket Force, China's Locations: Pacific, China, Okinawa, Guam, Commonwealth, Northern Mariana, U.S, Yigo, New American, Shugart, Tiananmen, Beijing

☆ China has a lot more missiles — with US warships and bases in its sights
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +18 min

American warships and bases in the Pacific are within reach of an increasingly worrying threat, a missile force unlike anything the US has faced in combat. With these missiles, China is signaling that it could attack US bases and ships in the region with little to no warning, Clark said. TK Department of DefenseThere's a lot more to the Chinese Rocket Force than these weapons, though. AdvertisementThat said, the US and its allies can't afford to assume the Rocket Force won't be ready should conflict come. In other words, how the US prepares itself and adapts to the Chinese Rocket Force gives it the best shot at avoiding a fight altogether.

Persons: China's, Andersen, Thomas Shugart, Bryan Clark, John Aquilino, Kevin Frayer, Harry Harris, Harris, Clark, Shugart, Gerald R, Kendall Warner, Byrd, US Defense Department Harris, Robert Peters, Peters, Ronald Reagan, Andrea Rosembert, Cpl, Ryan Little, Charles Flynn, I'm, Flynn, it's, Andy Wong Organizations: Business, Army Rocket Force, Pentagon, China's Rocket Force, Department of Defense TK Department of Defense, Center, New, New American Security, US Navy, PLA, Hudson Institute, Pacific Command, People's Liberation Army Rocket Force, Eastern Theater Command, People's Liberation Army PLA, Getty, Rocket Force, Liberation, TK Department of Defense, Chinese Rocket Force, US Defense Department, Ford, Virginian, Tribune, Service, Japan, Self, Defense Force, Misawa Air Base, Pacific, US, Defense, Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense, Army, Heritage Foundation, Aegis, Guam, Area, Ronald, Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense, Department of Defense, US Air Force, Marine Corps, Andersen Air Force Base, Marine, Combat, US Army Pacific, Stealth, Force, Military Locations: Beijing, China, American, Guam, South, Washington, Japan, New American, People's Republic of China, South Korea, Taiwan, South China, AFP, U.S, Marshall, Pearl, Pacific, PLARF, Tiananmen

☆ US Navy warships are getting their first combat experience against the kind of threats China is banking on in the Pacific
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The US Navy in recent weeks has been shooting down Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles. Washington has also conducted preemptive strikes in Yemen, destroying anti-ship ballistic missiles before the rebels are able to launch them. CENTCOM has not specified which anti-ship ballistic missiles have been used in the attacks on international shipping lanes. AdvertisementChina has a formidable arsenal of anti-ship ballistic missiles, like the DF-21D and DF-26, and is increasingly expanding it. Advertisement"It doesn't matter what's coming at them, really," said Macy, the retired admiral who served aboard multiple US Navy warships.

Persons: —, Archer Macy, it's, Joe Biden, Jonathan, Bryan Clark, Mohammed Hamoud, Andy Wong, Clark, Shaan Shaikh, Shaikh, Carney, MCS2 Aaron Lau, Macy Organizations: US Navy, Pacific . Experts, Service, Pentagon, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Hudson Institute, People's Liberation Army Rocket Force, Military, Missile Defense, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Navy, Combat System Locations: China, Pacific, Iran, Yemen, Gulf of Aden, Washington, Tehran, CENTCOM, Gaza, Jan, Sana'a, Western, Beijing, Tiananmen, Red

☆ How chaos in the Red Sea is putting the U.S. Navy to the test
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Brad Howard | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The U.S. Navy is encountering a tenacious threat in the Red Sea. "That's one of the things [that] the Red Sea sort of demonstrates ... we never know where the maritime threat might come up," said Bradley Martin, a senior policy researcher at Rand, in an interview with CNBC. As the U.S. encounters attacks by armed drones, cruise missiles, anti-ship ballistic missiles and other weapon systems in the Red Sea, the data gleaned from these encounters could prove invaluable in the Indo-Pacific region. China's rocket troops can potentially field thousands of missiles that can reach across wide swaths of the Pacific. That means the U.S. could be facing overwhelming odds in intercepting any mass missile attack against American ships and bases.

Persons: Bradley Martin, Rand, Steve Wills, Tom Shugart, Brad Bowman Organizations: U.S . Navy, CNBC, Navy, Aegis, Center for Maritime, Army Rocket Force, PLA, Center, New, New American Security, Military, Foundation for Defense of Democracies Locations: Red, Iran, U.S, New American, United States, China

☆ The 'crown jewel' of the Chinese military appears to have a serious corruption problem, but the US can't afford to bet on its missiles all being defective
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Recent reports point to corruption and readiness problems in the Chinese military, the rocket force in particular. In the aftermath of the report, an ex-PLA official told Radio Free Asia problems like this have long been rampant in the Chinese military. The rocket force shakeups suggest that there are questions over who can be trusted. Xinhua/Cha Chunming via Getty ImagesConcerns about corruption and readiness stand in contrast with the modernization and strengthening of the Chinese military. Is the PLA, particularly the rocket force, the increasingly formidable force the Pentagon described in a military power report last October?

Persons: It's, —, Tom Shugart, Xi Jinping, that's, hotpot, hadn't, bigwig, Xi, Liu Dawei, Shugart, weren't, Lintao Zhang, Li Shangfu, Li Gang, ISW, there's, Andy Wong Organizations: Service, People's Liberation Army, US, Center, New, New American Security, Liberation Army, Getty Images, Bloomberg, PLA, Rocket Force, Radio Free, 14th China International Aviation, Aerospace Exhibition, Getty, Liberation Army Rocket, Business, United, Naval, Army, Air Force, Communist, of, Defense, Chinese Communist Party, Liberation Army's Army Infantry College, Li, Pentagon, U.S . Nimitz, US Army Locations: New American, Taiwan, Hefei, Anhui province, Radio Free Asia, Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, Xinhua, United States, Beijing, China, PLA, Gutian, Jiangxi Province, U.S, Tiananmen, Pamir, Kashgar, China's Xinjiang, Pacific

☆ China sacked its defense minister with no explanation months after he mysteriously disappeared
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

China has dismissed defense minister General Li Shangfu from office. Li hasn't been seen in public in two months and is the second Chinese minister to be ousted this year with no explanation. AdvertisementAdvertisementChina has dismissed its defense minister from office after his bizarre disappearance from public view two months ago. Since being appointed defense minister in March, Li's most notable appearance came just four months ago at a forum in Singapore. Li's departure as the defense minister follows the dismissal of foreign minister Qin Gang from office in July, again with no explanation.

Persons: General Li Shangfu, Li hasn't, Xi, —, shakeups, Li Shangfu, He'd, Li's, Qin Gang, Xi Jinping, Li Organizations: China's Rocket Force, Service, China, New York Times, Chinese Foreign Ministry, People's Liberation Army Rocket Force, People's Liberation Army, Communist Party Locations: China, Singapore, Beijing

☆ China roughly doubled the number of missiles it could use to go after US bases in Japan, new Pentagon report shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The US Department of Defense released its annual China Military Power Report last week. The report says China's has increased in missile stockpiles, doubling its supply of the DF-21 missile. The increase in what an expert called "Japan Killers" gives China greater capability to threaten US bases. The People's Liberation Army Rocket Force's includes a significant increase in DF-21 medium-range ballistic missiles. The new figures were released last week in the Department of Defense's annual China Military Power Report.

Persons: China's, —, That's, GREG BAKER, Tom Shugart, who's, that's, Shugart, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Roosevelt, Mandel Ngan Organizations: US Department of Defense, China, Service, People's Liberation, Pentagon, Department, Taiwan . Military, Getty, NATO, US, Center, New, New American Security, DF, . Navy, Japan, Self, Defense Force, Reuters, US Navy, Defense, RAND, PLA, Artillery, White, American, DoD Locations: China, Japan, People's Republic of China, Taiwan, Beijing, AFP, Guam, New American, Korea, Soviet, Washington , DC

☆ China could strike far more than just flattops with its growing arsenal of 'carrier-killer' missiles, defense expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In the update, the Pentagon assesses China bolstered its missile stockpiles, specifically its DF-26 supply. The report shows that in 2022, China increased the number of intermediate-range ballistic missiles from 300 in 2021 to 500. "Numbers like that could change the DF-26 from a 'carrier killer' to just a 'ship killer,'" he said. The Pentagon said that in 2020 China "fired anti-ship ballistic missiles against a moving target in the South China Sea, but has not acknowledged doing so." DF-26 missiles attend the military parade in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 3, 2015.

Persons: —, Theodore Roosevelt, I've, Tom Shugart, who's, Shugart Organizations: US Department of Defense, China, Pentagon, Service, China's, People's Liberation Army Rocket Force, titans, U.S . Navy, Getty, US, Center, New, New American Security, US Navy, Western Pacific, PLA Locations: China, Republic, Guam, New American, South China, Ruoqiang, South, Western, Taiwan, Japan, Beijing, Xinhua

☆ Taiwan says China has 'very diverse' ways of interfering in election
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsTAIPEI, Oct 4 (Reuters) - China has "very diverse" ways of interfering in Taiwan's elections in January, from military pressure to spreading fake news, including manipulating opinion polls, a senior Taiwanese security official said on Wednesday. Ahead of elections, Taiwan routinely flags the risk of interference from Beijing, which claims the democratically governed island as its own, saying China seeks to sway the outcome to candidates who may be more favourable toward the country. "The way the Chinese Communists interfere in elections is very diversified," Taiwan National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen told lawmakers during a parliamentary committee session. China can use military pressure, economic coercion or fake news to create a false choice between "war or peace" in the election, seeking to frighten voters, Tsai said. China has increased military activities around Taiwan since the last election in 2020, and regularly sends warships and fighters into the seas and skies near the island.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Tsai Ming, Tsai, William Lai, Lai, Xi Jinping, Ben Blanchard, Gerry Doyle Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Taiwan National Security, Taiwan Affairs Office, Taiwan, Democratic Progressive Party, People's Liberation Army Rocket Force, Thomson Locations: Rights TAIPEI, China, Taiwan, Beijing

☆ China's military rocket force uncovers 'shortcomings' - PLA Daily
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Sept 15 (Reuters) - A unit of China's Rocket Force uncovered "shortcomings" during a field assessment of an exercise, the PLA Daily reported on Friday in a rare critique, suggesting gaps in combat readiness at the armed force overseeing conventional and nuclear missiles. The combat readiness of the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force, a strategic branch of the Chinese military, has come under focus recently after its two most senior leaders were suddenly replaced at the end of July with commanders not from the force. Since August, the Rocket Force has conducted at least two drills and training sessions, according to its official account on Weibo, a popular Chinese microblog. In the year to date, Communist Party members of the Rocket Force have visited the front lines of drills and exercises "multiple times" to assess the unit's combat readiness, according to the PLA Daily. The uncertainties over leadership have not been solely focused on the Rocket Force.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Xi Jinping, Li Shangfu, Ryan Woo, Lincoln Organizations: Rocket Force, Eastern Theatre Command, Liberation Army, PLA, REUTERS, Rights, China's, Force, Communist Party, People's Liberation Army Rocket Force, Party, Thomson Locations: Taiwan, Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING, Weibo, Heilongjiang

BEIJING, Aug 6 (Reuters) - China's decision to join international talks in Saudi Arabia this weekend seeking to end Russia's war in Ukraine signals possible shifts in Beijing's approach but not a U-turn in its support for Moscow, analysts say. "Beijing will not want to be absent from other credible peace initiatives that are led by non-Western countries." China did not attend the talks in Copenhagen in late June, despite being invited and having proposed its own 12-point plan for peace. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called Li's involvement a "considerable breakthrough", according to Ukrainian media. While China's move was good for its image, Singapore-based analyst Li Mingjiang said Beijing would be looking to fine-tune its positions.

Persons: Yun Sun, Li Hui, Xi Jinping, Qin, Vladimir Putin, Dmytro Kuleba, Shen Dingli, Shen, China's, Li Mingjiang, Li, Geng Shuang, Moritz Rudolf, Yale Law School's Paul Tsai, Laurie Chen, Martin Quin Pollard, Greg Torode, William Mallard Organizations: NATO, Stimson, Qin Gang, People's Liberation Army Rocket Force, U.S, Ukrainian, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, United Nations, Security, Yale Law, Yale Law School's Paul Tsai China Center, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, Moscow, Beijing, Denmark, Russia, China, Washington, Jeddah, Copenhagen, Shanghai, Singapore

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