The Chinese Dragon Lurks Beneath the Pacific
China's Atomic-Powered Submarines, With Nuclear-Tipped Missiles, Can Reach U.S. Cities, Pacific Rim
by Lawrence Kadish • September 1, 2026 at 5:00 am
In an era when artificial intelligence is now directing deadly drone attacks in Ukraine, it would be understandable to focus exclusively on what that now means on the battlefield.
This would be a grave mistake.
Few in the West have noticed that China just test-launched a long-range ballistic missile from a nuclear-powered submarine, using the waters of the South Pacific as their testing site.
The Chinese were quick to announce that the missile carried a dummy warhead, but the implications were clear for everyone who appreciates the enormous strategic threat implied from this underwater weapons test. The timing was also instructive: naval authorities reported that the Chinese had not conducted a similar test in decades.
Press reports say the test came on the same day China and Russia were holding joint naval exercises off the Chinese coast. A coincidence? Not likely.
