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On Tuesday, November 29, it was confirmed that Japan is looking to acquire a “counterstrike capability” to take out enemy missile sites if the country is attacked. A policy document detailing the concept was shown Friday at a meeting of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner, Komeito, the Kyodo news agency reported Saturday, citing an anonymous source with knowledge of the matter.
Also on Tuesday, the Pentagon released the 2022 National Security Strategy which identifies the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the only competitor with the intent and, increasingly, the capacity to reshape the international order. The Department of Defense (DoD) annual report on military and security developments involving the PRC charts the current course of the PRC’s national, economic, and military strategy and offers Congress insight on the tenets of Beijing’s ambitions and intentions. The PRC’s strategy entails a determined effort to amass and harness all elements of its national power to place the PRC in a “leading position” in an enduring competition between systems. As expressed in the 2022 National Defense Strategy, the PRC presents the most consequential and systemic challenge to U.S. national security and the free and open international system.
On Wednesday, November 30, it was determined that China will likely have a stockpile of 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035 if it continues with its current nuclear buildup pace, according to a report released by the Pentagon on Tuesday. The figure underscores mounting U.S. concerns about China’s intentions for its expanding nuclear arsenal, even though the projections do not suggest China is accelerating the pace of its already-brisk warhead development.
On Friday, December 2, the Russian military may be gearing up for a new round of missile strikes on Ukraine, and the goal is to crush the morale of the Ukrainian people. Kyiv urgently needs better air defenses, and this is another reminder that America’s weapons stocks are insufficient for an increasingly dangerous world. The Russians are frustrated by failures on the battlefield and are lashing out by striking civilian Ukrainian power and water infrastructure. Vladimir Putin is unencumbered by international law and norms and could keep this up all winter. The human suffering—in the cold and dark—will be tremendous.
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