A brand new report from the Pentagon has revealed that China has armed over 100 long-range nuclear missiles which could reach the US in an all-out war.
The December 23 report to Congress found China’s military has placed more than 100 DF-31 missiles, which are powerful intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), into underground launch sites called silos.
These missiles use solid fuel, meaning they’re ready to launch quickly without needing extra preparation, unlike older liquid-fueled ones that take longer to set up.
The US Department of War identified fields of missile silos in three remote areas in northern and western China: Hami in Xinjiang, Yumen in Gansu, and Yulin in Inner Mongolia, near the border with Mongolia.
Together, these fields have around 320 silos, but US officials believe only over 100 are loaded so far, allowing China to potentially shuffle missiles around to confuse enemies in a tactic like a ‘shell game.’
The DF-31 missiles can fly up to about 6,800 miles, far enough to hit most of the US from their launch sites in China.
China tested one of these missiles in 2024 by launching it into the Pacific Ocean, showing it could travel long distances and land near places like French Polynesia.
‘China’s historic military buildup has made the US homeland increasingly vulnerable. China maintains a large and growing arsenal of nuclear, maritime, conventional long-range strike, cyber, and space capabilities able to directly threaten Americans’ security,’ the new report warned.
The Pentagon believes this buildup is part of China’s plan to have over 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030, making their forces more ready for quick counterattacks if they detect incoming threats.
It’s the latest sign tensions are inching closer to a breaking point as China and the US battle for influence over Asia.
According to the Department of War, China’s big-picture goal is to become a global superpower by 2049, with a world-class military that can protect its interests and ‘rejuvenate’ the nation, including taking control of places like Taiwan that it claims still belongs to the communist nation.
The Chinese Communist Party is believed to see keeping its power, growing their economy, and defending territorial claims as its ‘core interests’ that it will never compromise with the US on, no matter what.
The new report warned that China is building up its military to be ready to invade or blockade Taiwan by 2027, practicing large exercises that include long-range strikes which could also hit US forces trying to help.
Pentagon officials also noted that China believes there is bipartisan agreement in the US Congress to ‘contain’ their rise, with the Chinese growing more and more frustrated with America’s alliances throughout Asia, specifically with Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines.
Despite growing tensions that have led to nuclear weapons being armed, a senior official from the Department of War told the Daily Mail the White House and Pentagon are working to deescalate the situation.
‘President Trump seeks a stable peace, fair trade, and respectful relations with China. The Department of War will support the President’s intent by opening a wider range of military-to-military communications with the People’s Liberation Army and seeking other ways to make clear our peaceful intentions,’ the senior official said in a statement.
A 2024 report by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), a nonprofit global policy think tank, revealed that there were 12,121 nuclear warheads scattered across nine nations.
Those nuclear-armed countries included the US, Russia, China, France, India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, and the UK.
Russia still outnumbered the US by several hundred warheads.
However, the two nations controlled roughly 88percent of this global stockpile, with Russia reportedly holding 5,580 bombs and the US possessing 5,044.
China has been among a group of five countries, including Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea, that have been quietly increasing their nuclear stockpiles over the past 40 years.
The new report by the Pentagon put China’s current count of nuclear warheads in the ‘low 600s,’ meaning the growing military power in Asia is expected to increase that number by roughly 100 per year this decade.
The Department of War declined to comment further regarding their level of concern over China’s nuclear weapons program.
