US Air Force sounds alarm on China’s missile arsenal and ‘Kill Web’ threat

Washington DC: Leaders in the US Air Force have expressed worries regarding the missile capabilities of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and its development of a “kill web,” noting that the forthcoming budget request from the US Department of Defense emphasizes enhancing defenses in the Indo-Pacific due to the escalating threat from China, as reported by the Taipei Times.

Experts in the US believe that a full-scale invasion by China is both risky and improbable, suggesting that Beijing is more likely to adopt coercive measures such as political warfare or blockades to achieve its objectives. High-ranking officers from the Air Force and the US Space Force, including US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink and Chief of Space Operations General Chance Saltzman, participated in a Senate subcommittee hearing to discuss the defence budget for the upcoming year.

Both Meink and Saltzman remarked that the PLA is making progress in its ballistic missile capabilities. They noted that China possesses over 900 short-range missiles capable of targeting Taiwan, along with 400 land-based missiles that can reach the first island chain. In addition, they highlighted China’s arsenal of 1,300 medium-range ballistic missiles that can strike the second island chain, 500 intermediate-range ballistic missiles that can reach parts of Alaska and Australia, and more than 400 intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear payloads globally, according to the Taipei Times report.

Saltzman expressed his greatest concern regarding China’s “kill web,” which allows the PLA to monitor US joint forces and operations from significant distances. He mentioned last March that China had already deployed over 470 intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance satellites, which contribute information to a sophisticated sensor-to-shooter kill web. This type of “kill web,” which connects sensors directly to strike units, speeds up attack execution through data sharing and automation, facilitating strikes to be carried out within seconds.

In another development, the Stimson Center, a think tank based in Washington, hosted a seminar titled “The Realities of an Invasion of Taiwan,” in which senior fellow Dan Grazier, fellow James Siebens, and research associate MacKenna Rawlins examined the strategic, political, economic, and military considerations that China may factor into its invasion plans for Taiwan. (ANI)

Also Read: US Air Force’s Assam Draggins Return To Arunachal To Pay Tributes To Fallen Heroes After 81 Years

Also Watch: