China Tests Nuclear Warhead In Bid To Build World’s Most Advanced Force

PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB) – U.S. intelligence ties Chinese explosive test to push for a completely new nuclear arsenal. China is developing a new generation of nuclear weapons and has conducted at least one covert explosive test in recent years as part of a broader push to completely transform its nuclear arsenal into the world’s most technologically advanced.

U.S. assessment of China’s intention to radically advance its nuclear weapons is fueling debate inside the intelligence community and beyond over Beijing’s shift in thinking on nuclear strategy.

The investment in its nuclear arsenal is pushing China closer to peer status with Russia and the U.S. and could yield technical capabilities neither of the two dominant nuclear powers currently possesses.

China secretly conducted an explosive nuclear test in June 2020 at the Lop Nur facility, in the country’s northwest – despite a self-imposed moratorium on nuke tests in place since 1996 – and was planning to do more in the future, say U.S. officials.

While the 2020 test was disclosed publicly by the State Department this month, the purpose of the test has not been previously revealed.

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here’s a roundup of today’s other top defense news from conservative national security expert PAUL CRESPO.

THE PDB – Not the President’s Daily Briefing, but almost as good – PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF:    

HOMELAND DEFENSE

Mexican army killed the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, “El Mencho,” decapitating what had become Mexico’s most powerful drug cartel and thrusting swaths of the nation into violent cartel chaos, especially near the U.S. border.

Five Russian aircraft were intercepted by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) while flying near the U.S. Alaska coast.

DEFENSE POLITICS

DoW defending decision to invite Pastor Doug Wilson, a self-described Christian nationalist who opposes women serving in combat, to preside over a 15-minute worship service at the Pentagon this week.

State lawmakers ask Congress to pass the Richard Star Act, a federal bill that has been stalled in Congress for years, which would change how combat-injured veterans receive disability compensation and pension payments.

How commercial drones make the Pentagon’s ‘Blue UAS Select’ list. DoW began testing for the initial phase of its Drone Dominance Program, an effort to expand the use of commercial drones across the military.

Defense Innovation Unit is gearing up for the first flight of its commercially developed hypersonic testbed as soon as the end of February — part of a larger project to quickly increase the cadence of the Pentagon’s hypersonic flight testing and field advanced, high-speed systems and components at scale.

US POWER OVERSEAS

New U.S. Army National Guard mountain brigade took over training of Ukrainian forces in Bavaria this week with vows to ‘take this forward’ amid latest breakdown in peace talks seeking to end Kyiv’s 4-year-old war with Russia.

Military strikes another drug boat in the eastern Pacific, killing 3 narco smugglers.

IRAN THREAT

Iran secretly signed a $589 million arms deal for a thousand of one of Russia’s most modern man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) to rebuild air defenses damaged during last year’s war with Israel.

Talks between the U.S. and Iran are expected to take place Thursday in Geneva, “with a positive push to go the extra mile towards finalizing the deal.” Iranian officials held out hope for progress towards a deal amid a massive build-up of U.S. military might in the region.

Iran and the Gulf: Why hedging is no longer enough. During recent protests in Iran, most Gulf states quietly but actively pushed back against calls in Washington for military strikes. To them, escalation would almost certainly destabilize the region without producing meaningful political change inside Iran, while leaving Gulf cities, infrastructure, and populations directly exposed to retaliation.

MIDDLE EAST THREATS

Islamic State claims two attacks on the Syrian army, announces “new phase” of operations.

Israeli airstrikes on eastern Lebanon have killed eight Hezbollah terrorists, including several local Hezbollah-linked officials.

GREENLAND CRISIS

Danish military evacuates U.S. submariner who needed urgent medical care off Greenland.

CHINA THREAT

U.S. arms sale to Taiwan clashes with President Trump’s desire to strike a trade deal with China. Chinese dictator Xi Jinping has voiced opposition to a new major arms sale to Taiwan, and the president took note.

China dominates with 5,500 commercial ships U.S. has under 100 — but Trump’s fighting back. President releases comprehensive Maritime Action Plan as Congress pushes bipartisan SHIPS Act to rebuild fleet.

RUSSIA THREAT/UKRAINE WAR

Russia is hammering Ukraine with an average of 150 drone attacks per day, mostly Shahed 136’s, with several spikes each month that could push the figure into many hundreds.

Russia fired scores of missiles and drones at targets across Ukraine, crashing into energy and rail infrastructure and residential buildings, just two days before the fourth anniversary of Moscow’s invasion.

EUROPEAN DEFENSE BUILDUP

Estonia has started procurement of 600 modular pop-up bunkers, part of a joint push by Baltic states to secure their long border with Russia and Belarus.

NORTH KOREA THREAT

With North Korean soldiers and equipment playing a key role at Russia’s front line in Ukraine, Moscow may be ready to provide highly sensitive information on nuclear submarines to its newfound ally.

US MILITARY

Space Force guardians provided critical support during high-profile U.S. military operations in Iran and Venezuela — experience that underscores the need for additional resources to prepare it for future conflicts.

Drones “change everything” about combined arms combat and training, Army aviation chief says.

New Army organization aims to meld service leaders’ mandates to cut bureaucracy and adopt a venture-capital mindset with a push to turn soldiers’ ideas into manufactured gear.

When soldiers read field manuals, they are studying the Army’s guide on how to fight. Now, doctrine writers are using AI to update those manuals.

Navy eyes BAH increases, barracks updates to house more sailors ashore with “No Sailor Lives Afloat” initiative announced last year. Effort is part of a larger push to keep sailors by ensuring their quality-of-life expectations are being met.

Fincantieri to build four Marine Corps medium landing vessels at its U.S. Marinette Marine yard in a new deal that follows the cancellation of its contract to build Constellation-class frigates for the Navy.

Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps is asking his fellow Marines to “reach out to someone” and ask for help when in need.

END of PDB

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.

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