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→Nuclear weapons
In 1955, Mao Zedong's Chinese Communist Party decided to proceed with a nuclear weapons program; it was developed with Soviet assistance until 1960. After its first nuclear test in October 1964, Beijing deployed a modest but potent ballistic missile force, including land- and sea-based intermediate-range and [[intercontinental ballistic missile]]s.
In 1955, Mao Zedong's Chinese Communist Party decided to proceed with a nuclear weapons program; it was developed with Soviet assistance until 1960. After its first nuclear test in October 1964, Beijing deployed a modest but potent ballistic missile force, including land- and sea-based intermediate-range and [[intercontinental ballistic missile]]s.
In late 2011, Phil Karber, a national security expert in the Reagan administration and Georgetown University professor, released a study titled the ''Underground Great Wall'' that revealed, through open-source analysis, that the CCP had some 3,000 miles of underground tunnels and that the PLA’s nuclear arsenal was much bigger than officially estimated by the [[U.S. Department of Defense]] and the U.S. [[intelligence community]].<ref>https://archive.is/wip/DNolb</ref>
[[File:China Hami-silos-1024x617.jpg|right|350px|thumb|One of two nuclear missile fields discovered under construction in mid-2021.]]
[[File:China Hami-silos-1024x617.jpg|right|350px|thumb|One of two nuclear missile fields discovered under construction in mid-2021.]]
The nuclear missile silo construction at Yumen and Hami constitutes the most significant expansion of the Chinese nuclear arsenal ever. China has for decades operated about 20 silos for liquid-fuel DF-5 ICBMs. With 120 silos under construction at Yumen, another 110 silos at Hami, a dozen silos at Jilantai, and possibly more silos being added in existing DF-5 deployment areas, the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) appears to have approximately 250 silos under construction – more than ten times the number of ICBM silos in operation today.
The nuclear missile silo construction discovered in the summer of 2021 at Yumen and Hami constitutes the most significant expansion of the Chinese nuclear arsenal ever. China has for decades operated about 20 silos for liquid-fuel DF-5 ICBMs. With 120 silos under construction at Yumen, another 110 silos at Hami, a dozen silos at Jilantai, and possibly more silos being added in existing DF-5 deployment areas, the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) appears to have approximately 250 silos under construction – more than ten times the number of ICBM silos in operation today.
The number of new Chinese silos under construction exceeds the number of silo-based ICBMs operated by [[Russia]], and constitutes more than half of the size of the entire US ICBM force. The Chinese missile silo program constitutes the most extensive silo construction since the US and Soviet missile silo construction during the Cold War.
The number of new Chinese silos under construction exceeds the number of silo-based ICBMs operated by [[Russia]], and constitutes more than half of the size of the entire US ICBM force. The Chinese missile silo program constitutes the most extensive silo construction since the US and Soviet missile silo construction during the Cold War.