NDAA Is Essential To Modernize Our Military, Improve Readiness, And Keep Pace With China’s Rapid Military Buildup

The Chairman Of The Joint Chiefs Of Staff Recently Emphasized That ‘The United States Military Needs To Accelerate Our Modernization’

“U.S. Joint Chiefs chairman Gen. Mark Milley on Friday said the United States military ‘needs to accelerate our modernization’ in an effort to compete with China as warfare technology continues to evolve and criticized Russia over its conflict with neighboring Ukraine.” (“Gen. Milley Warns US Military Must Modernize Now,” Fox News, 6/30/2023)

“‘I think the United States military needs to accelerate our modernization,’ he said. ‘And it's not so much just the actual modernization, but it's the acceptance of the idea that future war, the fundamental character of war, is actually changing in really significant radical ways. If we, the military, don't adapt ourselves, our doctrine or tactics or techniques, our leader development, our training and talent management, but also the weapon systems. If we don't do that, then we won't have a military that's capable of operating in that future operating environment.’” (“Gen. Milley Warns US Military Must Modernize Now,” Fox News, 6/30/2023)

“He also said that China was looking to ‘rewrite’ [the rules-based international order] as it leverages its financial power to build up its military. The U.S. should counter Beijing's military ambitions by focusing on what type of conflicts it will face in the future…. ‘They want to exceed global U.S. military power by mid-century,’ he noted of China's military goals.” (“Gen. Milley Warns US Military Must Modernize Now,” Fox News, 6/30/2023)

In Particular, U.S. Weapons, Munitions Production, And Nuclear Deterrence All Require Significant Investments In Modernization

‘The United States Lacks The Capacity To Produce The Arms That The Nation And Its Allies Need At A Time Of Heightened Superpower Tensions’

“[A] problem that has become worryingly apparent as the Pentagon dispatches its own stocks of weapons to help Ukraine hold off Russia and Washington warily watches for signs that China might provoke a new conflict by invading Taiwan: The United States lacks the capacity to produce the arms that the nation and its allies need at a time of heightened superpower tensions.” (“From Rockets to Ball Bearings, Pentagon Struggles to Feed War Machine,” The Washington Post, 3/24/2023)

• “In the first 10 months after Russia invaded Ukraine … the United States sent Ukraine so many Stinger missiles from its own stocks that it would take 13 years’ worth of production at recent capacity levels to replace them. It has sent so many Javelin missiles that it would take five years at last year’s rates to replace them, according to Raytheon, the company that helps make the missile systems.” (“From Rockets to Ball Bearings, Pentagon Struggles to Feed War Machine,” The Washington Post, 3/24/2023)

• “The shortcomings in the nation’s defense industrial base are vividly illustrated by the shortage of solid rocket motors needed to power a broad range of precision missile systems, like the ship-launched SM-6 missiles made by Raytheon.” (“From Rockets to Ball Bearings, Pentagon Struggles to Feed War Machine,” The Washington Post, 3/24/2023)

“If a large-scale war broke out with China, within about one week the United States would run out of so-called long-range anti-ship missiles, a vital weapon in any engagement with China, according to a series of war-game exercises conducted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank.” (“From Rockets to Ball Bearings, Pentagon Struggles to Feed War Machine,” The Washington Post, 3/24/2023)

Modernizing American Nuclear Capabilities Is Critical As China And Russia Build Their Arsenals

“Gen. Thomas A. Bussiere, the head of Air Force Global Strike Command, said … ‘In hindsight, we would all agree’ the U.S. should have started aspects of its current nuclear modernization sooner … Now, the need to modernize is acute, Bussiere said. The U.S.’s main adversaries, Russia and China, are not shy about their nuclear capabilities. ‘We are now facing two nuclear peer adversaries that have the capability to hold at risk almost anything in any domain at a time and place of their choosing,’ Bussiere said. ‘That’s a very unique aspect that our nation has not faced in many, many decades.’ One of the answers to that issue is the need to invest in a strong nuclear deterrence force, said Bussiere, who took command of AFGSC in December.” (“Long-Delayed Nuclear Modernization More Important Than Ever, AFGSC Boss Says,” Air & Space Forces Magazine, 5/07/2023)

“[E]ven the modernization efforts currently underway began before it was clear China was on pace to end up with an arsenal of 1,500 nuclear weapons by 2035, according to the Pentagon’s most recent assessment, and in the context of an arms control regime that no longer exists with Russia’s ‘suspension’ of the New START nuclear arms treaty—which is due to expire altogether in 2026.” (“Long-Delayed Nuclear Modernization More Important Than Ever, AFGSC Boss Says,” Air & Space Forces Magazine, 5/07/2023)

SEN. DEB FISCHER (R-NE): ‘We Need To Be Focused On This,’ ‘We Need To Be Able To Ramp Up Production’

“Nebraska Republican Sen. Deb Fischer, a member of Senate’s Armed Services and Appropriations Committees, told CNN, ‘I think members of the military had to be concerned from the get-go on this.’ Using the example of a Lockheed Martin production line for Javelin anti-armor missiles that could produce 2,100 missiles a year while Ukraine was using 500 of the missiles a day, Fischer said, ‘That’s a red flag right there.’ Fischer is pushing for a greater investment in arms manufacturing to meet the challenge of a belligerent Russia in Europe and a Chinese military asserting its presence in the Pacific. ‘It’s serious stuff. I’m not out there saying the sky is falling, but we need to be focused on this,’ said Fischer. ‘We can’t lose the focus, and we need to be able to ramp up production.’” (“US And NATO Grapple With Critical Ammo Shortage For Ukraine,” CNN, 7/18/2023)

“The US began ramping up ammunition production last year when it became clear that the [Russian] war [against Ukraine] would drag on far longer than anticipated. But the ammunition will still take ‘years’ to mass produce to acceptable levels, National Security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN ...” (“US And NATO Grapple With Critical Ammo Shortage For Ukraine,” CNN, 7/18/2023)

Meanwhile, China’s Military Buildup Is Accelerating

Beijing Has Increased Its Defense Budget For Eight Straight Years

“China on Sunday announced a 7.2% increase in its defense budget for the coming year, up slightly from last year’s 7.1% rate of increase. That marks the eighth consecutive year of single-digit percentage point increases in what is now the world’s second-largest military budget. The 2023 figure was given as 1.55 trillion yuan ($224 billion), roughly double the figure from 2013.” (“China Expands Defense Budget 7.2%, Marking Slight Increase,” The Associated Press, 3/04/2023)

• “Many Western experts believe China’s actual military spending greatly exceeds the official figure.” (“China’s Military-Spending Growth to Accelerate to 7.2% This Year,” The Wall Street Journal, 3/05/2023)

“This year’s spending increase signals the priority that leader Xi Jinping has attached to upgrading China’s defense forces, even as flagging economic growth increases fiscal stresses. China is making a multidecade effort to build the People’s Liberation Army into what Beijing says will be a world class military by 2049, the centennial of the Communist Party’s coming to power.” (“China’s Military-Spending Growth to Accelerate to 7.2% This Year,” The Wall Street Journal, 3/05/2023)

“The buildup is being closely tracked by Washington and its allies, which view China as the main challenger to the international order. U.S. officials say China’s growing military capabilities are increasingly threatening Taiwan, the self-governing island off the Chinese mainland over which Beijing claims jurisdiction.” (“China’s Military-Spending Growth to Accelerate to 7.2% This Year,” The Wall Street Journal, 3/05/2023)

The PLA Is ‘The World’s Biggest Standing Army’ And China Currently ‘Boasts A Massive Stockpile’ Of Missiles, Aircraft, And Ships

“Along with the world’s biggest standing army, China has the world’s largest navy and recently launched its third aircraft carrier. According to the U.S., it also has the largest aviation force in the Indo-Pacific, with more than half of its fighter planes consisting of fourth or fifth generation models.” (“China Expands Defense Budget 7.2%, Marking Slight Increase,” The Associated Press, 3/04/2023)

• “China also boasts a massive stockpile of missiles, along with stealth aircraft, bombers capable of delivering nuclear weapons, advanced surface ships and nuclear powered submarines.” (“China Expands Defense Budget 7.2%, Marking Slight Increase,” The Associated Press, 3/04/2023)

• “Much more investment in recent years has gone to advanced technologies that help to project China’s power beyond its shores, including with its naval fleet and nuclear-weapons capabilities.” (“China’s Military-Spending Growth to Accelerate to 7.2% This Year,” The Wall Street Journal, 3/05/2023)

China Has Been Rapidly Building Up Its Military Industrial Base

“The PRC has mobilized vast resources in support of its defense modernization, including through its Military-Civil Fusion (MCF) Development Strategy, as well as espionage activities to acquire sensitive, dual-use, and military-grade equipment. The PRC has substantially reorganized its defense-industrial sector to improve weapon system research, development, acquisition, testing, evaluation, and production.” (“Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China,” U.S. Department of Defense, 11/29/2022)

• “Most of China’s missile systems, including its ballistic and cruise missile systems, are comparable in quality to systems of other international top-tier producers…. China’s space industry, managed by the PLA, is rapidly expanding its intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, navigation, and communication satellite constellations…. China, the top ship-producing nation in the world by tonnage, is increasing its shipbuilding capacity and capability for all naval classes: submarines, warships, and auxiliary and amphibious ships…. China’s North Industries Corporation and China South Industries Group Corporation are improving in nearly every PLA ground system category: armored personnel carriers, assault vehicles, air defense artillery systems, artillery systems and pieces, and main and light battle tanks…. China is advancing its domestic aviation industry through two major state-owned aircraft corporations, AVIC and the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC).” (“Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China,” U.S. Department of Defense, 11/29/2022)

“[The] swift advancement [of political leaders with deep experience in China’s military-industrial complex] is part of [President Xi Jinping’s] efforts to reinvigorate China’s long-running project of ‘military-civil fusion’, a policy that seeks to harness new technologies from the private sector for the benefit of the country’s rapidly modernising military…. The implications could be profound. China’s potential adversaries in the west, already alarmed about the expansion of Chinese military capabilities, fear that the pace and breadth of military technology breakthroughs will step up a gear.” (“Xi Jinping’s Dream Of A Chinese Military-Industrial Complex,” Financial Times, 6/19/2023)

• “Greg Levesque, co-founder of US strategic intelligence start-up Strider, says the combination of Xi’s personal policy oversight, increased spending and the latest senior party and government appointments reflects a ‘significant shift’ in the use of military-civil fusion to address China’s security concerns. ‘These are individuals who understand the defence industry nexus between the universities and the key state laboratories, the defence state-owned enterprises and the emerging tech companies,’ he says. ‘I still don’t think people have woken up to it.’ … Levesque, of Strider, points out that since late 2017, Xi has increasingly taken direct personal leadership of the military-civil fusion policy via a high-level working group, which he chairs. There is now a ‘top-down directive’ in place to expand the policy into ‘all domains of competition’ with the US, broadening the scope from not just core weapons technologies but also to cyber, finance, space and maritime sectors, Levesque says.” (“Xi Jinping’s Dream Of A Chinese Military-Industrial Complex,” Financial Times, 6/19/2023)

“While Beijing has made new advances in explosives, most American military explosives are made at a single aging Army plant in Tennessee, Forbes reported in March. ‘While they were industrializing, we were deindustrializing,’ says Brose. Today China commands some 45 percent to 50 percent of total shipbuilding globally, while the United States has less than one percent.” (“The Pentagon Is Freaking Out About A Potential War With China,” Politico Magazine, 6/09/2023)

‘China Has Increasingly Aligned Its Military With Russia’s’

“Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping vaulted their growing partnership into a forward-leaning pact avowedly aimed at the U.S., opposing America’s global network of alliances and seeking to nudge it aside as the sole superpower.” (“Putin, Xi Aim Russia-China Partnership Against U.S.,” The Wall Street Journal, 2/04/2022)

• “Friday’s joint statement said friendship between Russia and China ‘has no limits. There are no ‘forbidden’ areas of cooperation.’” (“Putin, Xi Aim Russia-China Partnership Against U.S.,” The Wall Street Journal, 2/04/2022)

“The huge capacity of China’s defense industry and Russia’s massive expenditures of artillery shells and other materiel in its war on Ukraine have raised concerns in the U.S. and elsewhere that Beijing may provide Moscow with military assistance.” (“China's Foreign Minister Steps Up Threats Against Taiwan,” The Associated Press, 4/21/2023)

“China has increasingly aligned its military with Russia’s. The two countries have continued to conduct joint drills since Russia invaded Ukraine last year. U.S. officials are especially concerned that China could now be preparing to provide lethal military aid to Russia, including artillery that Moscow needs to sustain its war effort. China has responded by accusing the U.S. of fanning the flames of war by providing weapons to Ukraine.” (“China’s Military-Spending Growth to Accelerate to 7.2% This Year,” The Wall Street Journal, 3/05/2023)

The Chinese Government Keeps Escalating Its Hostile Actions And Rhetoric Towards Taiwan

“Much more investment in recent years has gone to advanced technologies that help to project China’s power beyond its shores, including with its naval fleet and nuclear-weapons capabilities. ‘All of those capabilities look like they’re aimed at Taiwan,’ said Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.” (“China’s Military-Spending Growth to Accelerate to 7.2% This Year,” The Wall Street Journal, 3/05/2023)

• “William Burns, director of the Central Intelligence Agency, said Mr. Xi has instructed China’s military to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027, when the PLA will mark its 100th anniversary.” (“China’s Military-Spending Growth to Accelerate to 7.2% This Year,” The Wall Street Journal, 3/05/2023)

“China’s foreign minister stepped up threats [in April] against the self-governing island of Taiwan, saying any who go against Beijing’s demand to exert control over the island are ‘playing with fire.’ Qin Gang’s remarks Friday came at the end of a speech espousing China’s contribution to the global economy and the interests of developing nations, in which he repeatedly praised Communist Party Secretary General Xi Jinping’s Global Security Initiative.” (“China's Foreign Minister Steps Up Threats Against Taiwan,” The Associated Press, 4/21/2023)

• “The concept is the latest of China’s moves to position its single-party political system, with its claim to social stability and economic growth, as an alternative to the Western liberal approach that largely defines international relations.” (“China's Foreign Minister Steps Up Threats Against Taiwan,” The Associated Press, 4/21/2023)

“Toward the end of his speech in the financial hub of Shanghai, Qin turned to what China calls the ‘Taiwan problem,’ using harsher terms than Chinese diplomats have typically employed in past in international settings. ‘The safeguarding of national sovereignty and territorial integrity is beyond reproach,’ Qin said. ‘The Taiwan problem is at the core of China’s core interests,’ he said. ‘We will never back down in the face of any act that undermines China’s sovereignty and security. Those who play with fire on the question of Taiwan will burn themselves.’ Such remarks are typically directed at the island’s democratically elected government under President Tsai Ing-wen and its most important ally, the United States. China considers Taiwan a part of its territory to be annexed by force if necessary.” (“China's Foreign Minister Steps Up Threats Against Taiwan,” The Associated Press, 4/21/2023)

“Earlier in April, China held large-scale air and sea drills in the in areas surrounding Taiwan in retaliation for Tsai’s meeting with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on April 5 in California. China said the exercises simulating an encirclement of Taiwan were intended as a ‘serious warning’ to pro-independence politicians on the self-governing island and their foreign supporters. China has stepped up its military pressure and diplomatic isolation against Taiwan in recent years, sending fighter jets and navy vessels towards the island on a near-daily basis.” (“China's Foreign Minister Steps Up Threats Against Taiwan,” The Associated Press, 4/21/2023)

And The PRC Has Continued To Escalate Its Aggressive Confrontations And Military Expansion In Southeast Asia

“The United States [in 2022] accused China of increased ‘provocations’ against rival claimants in the South China Sea and said its ‘aggressive and irresponsible behavior’ meant it was only a matter of time before a major incident or accident. Jung Pak, deputy assistant secretary for East Asia at the State Department, told a U.S. think tank there was ‘a clear and upward trend of PRC provocations against South China Sea claimants and other states lawfully operating in the region,’ referring to the People's Republic of China. She told the Center for Strategic and International Studies Chinese aircraft had increasingly engaged in unsafe intercepts of Australian aircraft in international airspace above the South China Sea and in three separate incidents in the last few months had challenged marine research and energy exploration activities within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines. Speaking later at the same event, Ely Ratner, assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, said there had been ‘dozens’ of incidents in the first half of the year involving the Chinese military in the South China Sea, a sharp increase over the past five years. ‘Beijing is systematically testing the limits of our collective resolve,’ he said.” (“U.S. Says Beijing's South China Sea ‘Provocations’ Risk Major Incident,” Reuters, 7/27/2022)

“The Philippine coast guard has launched a strategy of publicizing aggressive actions by China in the disputed South China Sea, which has countered Chinese propaganda and sparked international condemnation that has put Beijing under the spotlight, a Philippine official said [March 8^th]. Manila’s coast guard has intensified patrols in the disputed waters and taken extra efforts to document and publicize assertive Chinese behavior in the strategic waterway, including a Feb. 6 incident in which a Chinese coast guard ship aimed a military-grade laser that briefly blinded some crew members on a Philippine patrol boat off a disputed reef.” (“Philippines Launches Strategy Of Publicizing Chinese Actions,” The Associated Press, 3/08/2023)

“China, which today fields the world's largest navy and the region's largest coast guard and maritime fishing militia, now routinely patrols disputed areas and forces rival assets out of the region. In early March, the PLA conducted an operation within Vietnam's exclusive economic zone, probably to recover a crashed warplane, without permission from Hanoi. Meanwhile, at the land border, the establishment of at least one, perhaps two, PLA bases nearby became public last year—a missile and helicopter base. Beijing's new land boundary law, also passed in 2021, encourages the active defense of Chinese borders with force, suggesting that PLA units operating out of these bases could be empowered to apply additional pressure against Vietnam.” (“Taiwan Isn't The Ukraine Of The Indo-Pacific. Try Vietnam Instead,” RAND Corporation, 3/21/2022)

“China has issued a terse warning Tuesday that the U.S. and some of its allies are on a ‘dangerous path’ after Washington agreed to sell nuclear-powered subs to Australia. … The deal, part of the AUKUS partnership between the three countries, will see the U.S. provide Australia with at least three nuclear-powered submarines beginning in the early 2030s, a move that aims to directly counter China’s ambitions in the region.” (“China Issues Ominous Threat To Biden, Australia Over Nuclear Submarine Deal,” Fox News, 3/14/2023)

• “Australia’s defense minister, Richard Males, argued the deal was one Australia ‘cannot afford not to make.’” (“China Issues Ominous Threat To Biden, Australia Over Nuclear Submarine Deal,” Fox News, 3/14/2023)

• “It is vital that Australia has the same capability to deter - or, if necessary, fight - China as it expands its nuclear submarine fleet and ranges deeper into Australia's northern waters…” (“Analysis: Nuclear Submarine Plan Aims To Give Australia Strategic Edge To Deter China,” Reuters, 3/9/2023)

“China has already established one foreign military base in the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti and is refurbishing Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base that could give it at least a semi-permanent presence on the Gulf of Thailand facing the disputed South China Sea.” (“China's Foreign Minister Steps Up Threats Against Taiwan,” The Associated Press, 4/21/2023)

China Is Even Establishing A Military Facility In Cuba And Already Runs Spy Operations ‘Just 100 Miles Off Florida’s Coast’

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: ‘Beijing Plans A New Training Facility In Cuba, Raising Prospect Of Chinese Troops On America’s Doorstep’ (“Beijing Plans A New Training Facility In Cuba, Raising Prospect Of Chinese Troops On America’s Doorstep,” The Wall Street Journal, 6/20/2023)

“China and Cuba are negotiating to establish a new joint military training facility on the island, sparking alarm in Washington that it could lead to the stationing of Chinese troops and other security and intelligence operations just 100 miles off Florida’s coast, according to current and former U.S. officials.” (“Beijing Plans A New Training Facility In Cuba, Raising Prospect Of Chinese Troops On America’s Doorstep,” The Wall Street Journal, 6/20/2023)

• “Current and former U.S. officials said a new military facility could provide China with a platform to potentially house troops permanently on the island and broaden its intelligence gathering, including electronic eavesdropping, against the U.S. Most worrying for the U.S.: The planned facility is part of China’s ‘Project 141,’ an initiative by the People’s Liberation Army to expand its global military base and logistical support network, one current and one former U.S. official said.” (“Beijing Plans A New Training Facility In Cuba, Raising Prospect Of Chinese Troops On America’s Doorstep,” The Wall Street Journal, 6/20/2023)

“China and Cuba already jointly run four eavesdropping stations on the island, according to U.S. officials.” (“Beijing Plans A New Training Facility In Cuba, Raising Prospect Of Chinese Troops On America’s Doorstep,” The Wall Street Journal, 6/20/2023)

• “An eavesdropping facility in Cuba, roughly 100 miles from Florida, would allow Chinese intelligence services to scoop up electronic communications throughout the southeastern U.S., where many military bases are located, and monitor U.S. ship traffic.” (“Cuba To Host Secret Chinese Spy Base Focusing On U.S.,” The Wall Street Journal, 6/8/2023)

China’s Espionage Activities Targeting The United States Have Become More Frequent, More Widespread, And More Brazen

“The Chinese spy balloon that floated over the U.S. early this year was loaded with American-made equipment that helped it collect photos, videos and other information, U.S. officials said, citing preliminary findings from a closely held investigation. Several defense and intelligence agencies, along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, have analyzed the debris retrieved after the U.S. military detected and shot down the balloon nearly five months ago in an event that added fresh, unexpected volatility to the already fraught U.S.-China relationship.” (“Chinese Balloon Used American Tech to Spy on Americans,” The Wall Street Journal, 6/29/2023)

“U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and senior officials at the State Department were victims of a newly discovered Chinese hacking campaign, American officials said Wednesday, a targeted spying effort in the spring that coincided with a Biden administration push to soothe rising tensions with Beijing.” (“Chinese Hackers Breached Email of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and State Department Officials,” The Wall Street Journal, 7/12/2023)

• “Hackers linked to Beijing accessed the email account of the U.S. ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, in an attack that is believed to have compromised at least hundreds of thousands of individual U.S. government emails, according to people familiar with the matter.” (“U.S. Ambassador To China Hacked In China-Linked Spying Operation,” The Wall Street Journal, 7/20/2023)

• “Daniel Kritenbrink, the assistant secretary of state for East Asia, was also hacked in the cyber-espionage attack, the people said. The two diplomats are believed to be the two most senior officials at the State Department targeted in the alleged spying campaign disclosed last week, one of the people said.” (“U.S. Ambassador To China Hacked In China-Linked Spying Operation,” The Wall Street Journal, 7/20/2023)

“The breaches of unclassified email systems, which some officials and experts said may have required extraordinary technical expertise to pull off, raise new alarms about the ability of Chinese hackers to orchestrate more sophisticated attacks and come at a fragile point in U.S.-China relations.” (“Chinese Hackers Breached Email of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and State Department Officials,” The Wall Street Journal, 7/12/2023)

• “The date of the hack’s discovery in June closely aligned with the timing of Antony Blinken’s travel to China, the first U.S. secretary of state to visit Beijing in five years.” (“Chinese Hackers Breached Email of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and State Department Officials,” The Wall Street Journal, 7/12/2023)