NASA head Nelson says China hiding military presence in space
"I think that we just better not let down our guard," Nelson added.
The Chinese government said on Monday that China has the ability, through conventional missiles contained within the arsenals of the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force to decimate US military installations around Asia in places like Guam, Japan, Singapore and South Korea, according to report.
Earlier this month, a report that was published by the United States Study Centre at the University of Sydney, Averting Crisis, American Strategy, Military Spending and collective Defence in the Indo- Pacific warned that China’s massive investment in conventionally armed ballistic and cruise missile is the centrepiece of China’s counter intervention efforts.
“Over the past 15 years, the PLA has systematically increased, upgraded and extended the range of its inventory of missiles and launchers in what the US government has called the most active and diverse ballistic missile development program in the world”, it said.
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The United States Study Centre document also warned, “This growing arsenal of accurate long-range missiles poses a major threat to almost all American, allied and partner bases, airstrips, ports and military installations in the Western Pacific.
Earlier today, the US tested a new ground-based cruise missile which can hit a target after more than 500 kilometres of flights weeks after withdrawing from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty banning such systems, the Pentagon said on Monday in a statement.
“The missile exited its ground mobile launcher and accurately impacted its target after more than 500 kilometres of flight”, the statement further added.
The collapse of the INF Treaty, which was signed by the Soviet Union and the United States in 1987, has triggered the fear that a new round of arms race is looming, many analysts say.
Last year, Washington said that it would withdraw from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) while accusing Russia of failing to comply with it.
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