Submitted by: Donald Hank
The following is a
translation of an article from Chinese military periodical Junshi, July 3,
2013.
CHINA’S MOST
POWERFUL KILLER MACE[1] CAN
INSTANTLY DESTROY THE UNITED STATES
translated by Don Hank
Instant annihilation of the
entire United States! China’s
latest killer mace weapon exposed.
Recently, the British “Jane’s Defense Weekly” cited an anonymous American
source saying that the missile fired by the Chinese second artillery corps on
July 24 is the most advanced Chinese missile thus far, the Dongfeng-41[2] intercontinental
ballistic missile. “This is the
first time that an American official has confirmed the existence of this missile
project.” Of particular concern to
the West is that the Dongfeng-41 could be put to use.
Recently,
the British “Jane’s Defense Weekly” reported a quote from an anonymous US
official, who said that the chief concern of the West is the potential for the
Dongfeng-41 to use multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV)
technology. This technology makes
it possible not only to load multiple warheads onto a single missile but also to
control individual flight trajectories for each individual warhead, controlling
the orbit to attack different targets.
In this way, each antimissile intercept missile can destroy only one
warhead, rendering the antimissile system much less effective. An Asian military expert told the Jane’s
Weekly reporter that the Dongfeng-41 can carry up to 10 guided nuclear warheads,
seriously compromising the reliability of the American antimissile
system.
Photos of the
Dongfeng-41 circulating on the Internet
Actually, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s most powerful deterrent
to the American military is still the intercontinental ballistic missile. If the Dongfeng-41 really completes its
test launches, this will have three major implications: firstly, technically
speaking, multiple warheads can largely ensure continuity of strike capability
and breakthrough, and in particular, will greatly shift the balance against
America’s established antimissile system.
Secondly, it will provide a powerful deterrent against the US military
buildup in the Asia-Pacific region which is provoking a situation around
China. Thirdly, the Dongfeng-41
features third generation ICBM characteristics, and has a formidable first wave
strike capability. The West
speculates that this may imply a change in China’s “no first use of nuclear
arms” commitment. In fact, this
sort of ambiguous strategic thinking may be the biggest deterrent to hostile
countries.
In
terms of technology, the third generation ICBM can possibly control all
strategic target threats on earth, enhancing global strike capability, but
China’s “no first use of nuclear weapons” commitment has not changed. China’s ballistic missile development
actually has no particular objective other than safeguarding China against any
hostile forces that may provoke it.
The “substantial nuclear arms reduction” announced between the United
States and Russia is merely concept hype.
This is because the “substantial reduction” is only a change in the state
of the nuclear weapons and not their complete destruction. The USA and Russia have not yet
destroyed nuclear warheads but have only gone from a state of high alert to a
state of low alert. He[3] believes
China is facing increasing nuclear threats and needs to perform limited
development of third generation nuclear missiles if it wants to respond more
efficiently to security challenges.
From
the standpoint of both the trend in global political patterns and the
surrounding strategic environment, the situation facing China is becoming
increasingly complex and diverse.
The South China Sea dispute, the Diaoyu Islands dispute and the Taiwan
problem are becoming very serious because of US involvement. From the looks of things, the South Sea
problem and the Diaoyu Islands dispute could lead to an exchange of
gunfire. The US is hemming in
Chinese interests and action will increase in the future. Further, China’s strategic missile
development has a deterrent effect on the US in terms of politics. In military terms, it is a very strong
deterrent and this kind of strategic deterrent power is a strategic trump card
which can effectively counter the U.S. in the political and military arena in
terms of China containment and suppression.
Translator’s Notes:
The South China Sea
dispute is a labyrinthine maritime boundary dispute between the PRC on the one
hand and the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia on the
other.
The Diaoyu Islands
dispute is between mostly the PRC and Japan (which calls the islands Senkaku).
However, Taiwan also claims the islands, which it calls Tiaoyutai. The U.S. had
included these islands as Japanese possessions in the Treaty of Mutual
Cooperation and Security between the U.S. and
Japan.
[1] The Chinese expression translated as
“killer mace” is roughly equivalent to “trump card weapon.”
[2] Dongfeng means literally East Wind –
Tr.
[3] It is not clear to whom ‘he’ refers
to here. Logically, it could refer either to the Jane’s Defense Weekly reporter
or to the US official quoted by this
periodical.—Tr.
No comments:
Post a Comment