U.S. CHALLENGED TO DEFEND AGAINST CHINESE MISSILES.

• Author: Harper, Jon
• Position: DOWNRANGE

China's inventory of advanced missiles would be one of the thorniest problems facing U.S. military forces in the event of a conflagration in the Indo-Pacific region over the fate of Taiwan or other flashpoints. National security experts are recommending steps the United States can take to mitigate the threat before it's too late.

Beijing's land-based missile systems are managed by the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force. Its inventory includes a variety of conventional mobile, ground-launched short-,medium-and intermediate-range ballistic missiles and ground-launched cruise missiles, with the capability of conducting precision strikes against ground targets and naval targets, according to the Pentagon's latest report on "Military and Security Developments

Involving the People's Republic of China."

"The PLARF is a critical component of the PRC's...strategy to deter and counter third-party intervention in regional conflicts," the study said.

In 2020, the rocket force began fielding its first operational hypersonic weapon system, the DF-17, the report noted. Hypersonic weapons can fly faster than Mach 5 with a high level of maneuverability that makes it challenging for traditional missile defense systems to defeat them.

"The investments that we've seen the Chinese make in hypersonics are frankly startling," said Dr. Mark Lewis, executive director of the National Defense Industrial Association's Emerging Technologies Institute, and former director of defense research and engineering for modernization at the Pentagon.

"To a certain extent I have to tip my hat to them," he said during a recent panel hosted by the Hudson Institute. "It has given them a capability that...is increasingly concerning."

Last year, Beijing tested what has been dubbed a fractional orbital bombardment system, which reportedly circled the Earth before deploying a hypersonic glide vehicle that landed in China.

"It was a difficult thing to do technically, so it shows that the Chinese have clearly developed a level of technical prowess that is notable," Lewis said.

"But it also shows intent," he added. "To me, it signals that the Chinese are looking at technologies that not only allow them to control the space in their immediate domain [in the Indo-Pacific]. They're looking at global capabilities, and they're using technologies to enhance that."

The PLA has developed a strategy that focuses on using offensive strikes to gain a military advantage at the beginning of a conflict and maintain that momentum. The rocket force figures prominently in that strategy, according to Timothy Walton, a fellow at the Hudson Institute's Center for Defense Concepts and Technology.

"They talk about conducting preventive attacks...and preemptive attacks...