whatyareckon

By Patty-Jane Geller and Nathan Waite ~

The head of the U.S. Strategic Command, Adm. Charles Richard, recently alerted the world that when it comes to deterrence against China, “the ship is slowly sinking.”

That warning came on the heels of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s call for “a strong system of strategic deterrence,” a likely reference to Beijing’s nuclear arsenal, at the recent 20^th Chinese Communist Party Congress.

A Jin-class nuclear submarine, Long March 10, of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy participates in a naval parade commemorating the 70th anniversary of the navy’s founding, in the sea near Qingdao, in China’s Shandong province, on April 23, 2019. (Photo: Mark Schiefelbein/ AFP/Getty Images)

Richard’s and Xi’s comments confirm what we have been learning about China’s buildup of its nuclear forces that have the potential to match—or even overtake—those of the United States.

Historically, China has maintained a…