Pentagon report: Chinese ballistic missiles can target nearly the entirety of the US

[bananas]

Source: Business Insider



China now has dozens of nuclear-capable missiles that could target almost the entirety of the US, according to the Department of Defense's 2015 report on the Chinese military.

The annual report to Congress focuses on China's military modernization, possible invasion plans for the self-governing and US-allied island of Taiwan, advances in space technology, and Beijing's rapidly advancing missile capabilities.

China's conventional capabilities are improving. But Beijing also now has what could be considered the ultimate military asset for a rising superpower: the ability to deliver nuclear warheads nearly anywhere on earth (outside of South America, at least).

The following map from the report highlights the maximum missile ranges of China's medium and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). The longest-ranging of the missiles, the CSS-4, can target almost the entirety of the US (except for Florida).

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Read more: http://www.businessinsider.in/Pentagon-report-Chinese-ballistic-missiles-can-target-nearly-the-entirety-of-the-US/articleshow/47240874.cms

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The report pdf is http://www.defense.gov/pubs/2015_China_Military_Power_Report.pdf

[CBGLuthier]

1. Well I sure as fuck hope so. They are a fairly modern nation. Oh the pentagon just has to

keep generating boogie men for americans to shit themselves over to justify america's bloody and expensive war machine.

Why the FUCK would China want to destroy us? They already own the fucking place.

This is nonsense. Of course the world powers all have weapons they can destroy the world with. We can. They can. BFD.

[Kelvin Mace]

3. Agreed,

You don't attack peope who owe you huge sums of money.

[Kablooie]

7. That also was the case just before WWI

people thought there was no threat of war because all the countries were economically dependent on each other.
One Serbian killer and an Austria who had too much pride set off a set of dominos based on alliances to create one of the worst wars in history that nobody wanted. t was also one of the reasons we had WWII because Germany wanted to restore its pride.

Financial dependence can be overshadowed by excessive pride.

[bananas]

12. One thing we learn from history is that nobody ever learns from history. nt

[psychopomp]

16. You "hope so"?

I surely hope *not.* I also hope their guidance and warheads are crap.

Top Secret space-based, workable anti-ICBM Star Wars tech would be a bonus, too.

The USA still has the Trident, the ultimate deterrent.

[whatthehey]

20. China holds about 8% of US debt

[Kelvin Mace]

2. And our missiles can reach

anywhere in China.

When you point a gun at people, they will point one back.

[former9thward]

29. Except that China is wiling to lose hundreds of millions of people.

We are not.

Mao Zedong, China's communist leader, gave the impression that he would welcome a nuclear war with the capitalists because it would annihilate what he viewed as their "imperialist" system.

Let us imagine how many people would die if war breaks out. There are 2.7 billion people in the world, and a third could be lost. If it is a little higher it could be half ... I say that if the worst came to the worst and one-half dies, there will still be one-half left, but imperialism would be razed to the ground and the whole world would become socialist. After a few years there would be 2.7 billion people again.
— Mao Zedong, 1957

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_warfare

[Kelvin Mace]

30. No, I seriously doubt anyone is willing to lose hundreds of millions of people

this plays into the view that the Chinese are inhuman monsters. People made the same arguments against the Soviets back in the day.

[former9thward]

31. Nope.

That argument was never made against the Soviets. The Soviets were not willing to lose a massive amount of people in a nuclear war. During the Cuban missile crisis the Chinese criticized the Soviets for pulling back. They were willing to have a nuclear war breakout.

[Kelvin Mace]

32. I know the argument was made because heard

various Reagnoids make it when defending Saint Ronnie MX missile/"Star Wars" boondoggles.

Setting that aside, China is not going to attack us because aside from the body count, they would literally destroy their own economy for decades if not centuries. Here is a list of things dead people don't do:

1) They don't pay you back the money they owe you.

2) They don't buy your commodities like minerals, metals, consumer goods.

3) They don't build massive factories in your country employing hundreds of millions of your population (directly and indirectly).

4) The can't sell you any food which you desperately need.

5) They can't act as a deterrent to the other enemies you have.

Do you think that China could nuke the U.S. and the EU, Russia and Australia would sit back and watch? Two of those groups have treaties with us to retaliate, and Russia would know damned well that it was next on the Chinese hit parade.

Global warming poses a far greater danger to us than the Chinese. Fear is the mind killer, and this is base fear mongering.

[former9thward]

33. I don't fear the Chinese.

But they have never repudiated Mao. They still embrace him at least in name. But the Chinese look at these things on what will be the affect centuries in advance. We do four years in advance at the most.

[Kelvin Mace]

34. Agreed

and attacking the U.S. would have centuries long consequences.

China has 1/5 of the world's population, but only 8% of the arable land. Of that, 20% is severely polluted from industrial waste. China also has a fresh water problem that makes farming harder.

So, a nuclear exchange with the U.S. would mean not only a couple of hundred millions dead when the manufacturing/population centers are hit, but MASSIVE starvation for the survivors, probably bordering on 50% (since the U.S. would also target what Chinese farmland). Then would come the massive civil war when the severely crippled central government loses control of the provinces.

None of this addresses the ancillary damage China would suffer from attacks from U.S. allies. I mentioned earlier that Russia would certainly pile on, but I forgot to mention China's oldest enemy Japan, who would also put the boot in.

Again, Chinese ICBMs to not worry me. We have far more pressing problems to deal with.

[YOHABLO]

4. I don't think this comes as any surprise.

[William Seger]

22. It shouldn't; they've had it since the 90s

Dongfeng 5 (CSS-4)
Main article: DF-5

The DF-5 is an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), designed to carry a 3 megaton (Mt) nuclear warhead to distance up to 12,000 km. The DF-5 is a silo-based, two-stage missile, and its rocket served as the basis for the space-launch vehicle Fengbao-Tempest (FB-1) used to launch satellites. The missile was developed in the 1960s, but did not enter service until 1981. An improved variant, the DF-5A, was produced in the mid 1990s with improved range (>13,000 km). Currently, an estimated 24-36 DF-5A's are in service as China's primary ICBM force.[12][13]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dongfeng_%28missile%29#Dongfeng_5_.28CSS-4.29

[djean111]

5. The TPP will protect us!

In other news - duh.

[harun]

8. ^ BINGO

[jwirr]

15. That is what I was thinking.The vote is today so crank up the fear factor. One problem - we are

one of their bigger products market - would you bomb your buyers out of existence? I wouldn't.

[jtuck004]

6. Far, far worse than this, they can target an individual shelf in a WalMart with cheap junk made

on machines that used to be run by Americans, with extraordinary and unsettling accuracy.

Insidious. The payload doesn't destroy the buildings, and it leaves the majority of the people in servitude to the banks that arranged the whole thing so about .001% of the population of both countries can profit unfairly. The rest work for wages from .58 cents an hour to about $10.00, depending on which country you are in, though it is barely adequate to live on in either place.

Their accuracy is helped by lots and lots of spotters in the U.S.

The nuclear missiles kill you too, a lot quicker. However, there are no residual fees, so bank$ter/donors and the other wealthy rentiers who guide the societies tend to shy away from actually using those, except where stories of them will help increase profits in other areas.

[eggplant]

9. They needn't bother. They can just use the underground tunnels! n/t

[Blue_Tires]

10. I thought they've had that capability for at least 20+ years?

[Augiedog]

11. Why....?

Why would they nuke their own property? We are a wholly owned subsidiary of China. The previous occupants of the White House ensured that. No, China's greatest threat, the real need for their nukes is against Tibet and those insidious monks who set themselves afire morally, figuratively and in reality at the slightest hint of warmongering slaughtering assholes on the horizon.

[Little Tich]

13. If there was an enforced worldwide ban on nuclear weapons,

people wouldn't have to fear a nuclear attack, ever. I remember watching “Threads” on TV when I was a little newt, and it gave me nightmares. I've been against nuclear weapons ever since.

[Jester Messiah]

21. And if a frog had wings he wouldn't bump his arse when he hopped. [nt]

[sorefeet]

14. 600 billion a year for the pentagon

and we are supposed to be scared. Fear mongering, my entire life has been warnings of doom, mainly from the right wing Waco's or the religious superstitious. I'm so sick of the shit.

[onyourleft]

17. Are we all...

...properly afraid now? Just more fear mongering to keep those defense dollars rolling.

[Sunlei]

18. China is allied with NK, they'll let NK fire a test shot or two & claim ignorance.

I really think our DOD Department of Defense, spending should be suspended for 2 or 3 years and use all those billions to upgrade Americas infrastructure, including public schools, public hospitals, public housing and free internet access for all.

[bemildred]

19. And nuclear missile submarines too. nt

[daleo]

23. Well, they have sent probes to the moon

So this capability is hardly unexpected.

[bemildred]

24. Apparently our intelligence services have been caught napping again.

[daleo]

25. A well deserved rest, I am sure

[F4lconF16]

26. PANIC1!!1!1!1!!!

[Jamastiene]

27. That is why I welcome our Chinese overlords.

They also own most of America at this point too. Everyone might as well get prepared for the inevitable. I'm trying to get my brownie points in now.

[sakabatou]

28. And this is why we have MAD