U.S. Defense Nominee: "China's Nuclear Buildup Outpaces U.S. Expectations"

China Emerges as a Major Nuclear Power
"Various Response Options Will Be Provided to the President"

Robert P. Kadlec, the nominee for Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Deterrence and Chemical and Biological Defense at the U.S. Department of Defense (formerly the War Department), stated on the 4th (local time), "The pace at which China is expanding its nuclear capabilities has surpassed U.S. expectations."

On the 2nd (local time), participants of the "2025 Beijing Marathon" ran past Tiananmen Square in Beijing, the capital of China. Photo by Xinhua News Agency

In a policy response submitted ahead of his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee that day, Kadlec said, "We are closely monitoring China's emergence as a major nuclear power alongside its large-scale buildup of conventional forces."

He added, "China's nuclear capabilities are a key element of its strategy to become the dominant power in the Western Pacific. The opaque and rapid expansion of China's nuclear arsenal requires the United States to think differently about how to deter and counter threats to our vital interests in the Indo-Pacific region."

He continued, "The Department of Defense must maintain a posture that ensures U.S. nuclear forces deter the escalation of nuclear conflict with China and provide the President with a range of credible response options."

Kadlec also stated, "China, Russia, and North Korea have been expanding and modernizing their nuclear capabilities. These improvements, including advancements in nuclear warheads, delivery systems, and command and control infrastructure, are posing increasingly serious threats to the United States and its allies and partners."

He said, "I believe U.S. nuclear deterrence is highly credible to both adversaries and allies. However, I also think the United States must have credible nuclear response options for potential conflicts that may arise below the strategic level in regional theaters."

He further assessed, "China and Russia are deploying high-performance nuclear forces with ranges that threaten U.S. forces, allies, and other key interests in Europe and Asia. As I understand it, U.S. capabilities in this area have weakened since the end of the Cold War."