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With Connor O’Brien, Daniel Lippman and Josh Gerstein
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Why the Air Force Worries About Long-Term Commitment Missile Plans
Several senior Air Force leaders have expressed growing concern about a potential “missile gap” occurring prior to the arrival of larger numbers of Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent.
The Air Force is planning to operate its newly emerging Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for decades well into the 2080s, with the understanding that technological advances and threat circumstances are likely to evolve substantially in coming years, requiring needed adaptations to the weapons system.
A key area of emphasis for these kinds of technical circumstances, over the course of many years now, is for the military services to upgrade hardware with advanced new software and computer algorithms designed to respond to and incorporate new threats as they emerge.
Fact: The Chinese have plans to at least double their arsenal by the end of the decade
China s military seems like it is growing in every direction possible.
For example, Chinese shipbuilders are adding new aircraft carriers, amphibs and destroyers at an alarming pace. Chinese armored vehicle engineers are fast-adding new infantry carriers and mobile artillery platforms. Chinese weapons developers are adding large numbers of new drones and attack robots. But the largest and potentially most alarming element of all of this, according to many senior U.S. leaders, is the staggering pace at which China is adding nuclear weapons.