The Pentagon has reported that China is rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal and is projected to possess more than 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030.
This information comes from the latest Pentagon report on Beijing’s military power, as cited by Politico, and comments from a senior official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
According to the report, China added at least 100 nuclear warheads to its stockpile over the past year, bringing its total to over 600. The Pentagon highlighted that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aims to field over 1,000 operational warheads by the end of the decade.
“I would certainly expect them to continue expanding and modernizing their force after that,” a defense official, who was granted anonymity to explain details of the report, told reporters.
The report underscores that China maintains a “no first use” policy regarding its nuclear forces, focusing instead on deterrence and the ability to respond with a massive counterstrike.
The official noted that the increase in warhead numbers coincides with broader efforts to develop new intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) with greater survivability and advanced capabilities. These enhancements are designed to strengthen China’s nuclear missile forces.
“They also are showing some interest in developing a new conventional ICBM that could strike Hawaii, Alaska and the continental United States,” the official added.
China’s defense spending remains opaque, with U.S. and Western officials cautioning that, like Russia, China does not publicly disclose the true extent of its defense budget.
The report estimates that Beijing spends at least 40% more on defense than its publicly announced budget suggests, amounting to an estimated $330–450 billion in total defense expenditures for 2024.
Meanwhile, the U.S. defense budget remains the largest in the world. President Joe Biden’s most recent budget request totaled $880 billion, and it is expected to increase after Congress adds additional allocations in the coming weeks.
