Image source: topwar.ru
The British newspaper The Guardian published an article showing that the United States and NATO are capable of destroying Russian and Chinese nuclear launchers using conventional weapons.
Professors Dan Plesch and Manuel Galileo from the University of London describe a "quiet revolution" reflecting the growth of US military power compared to Moscow and Beijing, especially in the field of missile technology.
Plesch and Galileo write that the United States has "the current ability to have non-nuclear forces capable of surpassing the nuclear forces of Russia and China," which gives them a military advantage over the two countries.
According to the authors, Russia has 150 nuclear weapon launchers, and China has about 70, about 2,500 km from the nearest border. All of them can be achieved by American air-launched JASSM and Tomahawk cruise missiles in just over two hours as part of a pre-launch strike to prevent the launch of nuclear weapons.
"The United States and its allies can threaten even the most covert and mobile strategic forces of Russia and China," the authors write, with approximately 3,500 JASSM missiles and 4,000 Tomahawks at their disposal. Thanks to new developments, JASSM (air-to-ground) missiles can be launched on pallets using the Rapid Dragon system from unmodified standard transport aircraft such as the C-17 Globemaster or C-130 Hercules.
Both authors argue that the strategic question is whether Russia or China are afraid of the US military potential to such an extent as to justify a new arms race. "The assessment of the US threats in 2024 itself revealed China's concerns about the first US strike as a motive for China to expand its nuclear arsenal," they said.
Image source: topwar.ru
