Prompt Global Strike China and the Spear | by Lora Saalman PhD |

A close examination of Chinese scientific journals reveals emerging perspectives on prompt global strike (PGS). As Chinese official defense white papers have become shorter in length, technical journals provide a clearer window into threat perceptions and direction of Chinese military modernization. They reveal that technical and military institutes in China are conducting substantial research into both countering and developing hypersonic, precision- guidance, and boost-glide technologies. The amount of this research dwarfs that heretofore available on their ballistic missile defense (BMD)-related technologies. In contrast to BMD, Chinese PGS-oriented literature combines scientific and strategic details, reflecting a broader shift to integrate strategic departments into its technical institutes.

Chinese analysts view PGS as part of a larger U.S. effort to achieve "absolute security," with BMD as the shield and PGS as the sword, such that Washington is able to act preemptively. Given its lower threshold of taboo on use, Chinese analysts tend to view U.S. PGS as a threat to Beijing's conventional and nuclear weapons systems, as well as its command and control centers. With the breadth of U.S. platforms defined as PGS-related systems in China, its analysts have not ruled out their delivery of nuclear weapons. Despite its criticism of the United States, China's BMD tests in 2008 and 2010, as well as its own test moving towards PGS in 2014, show that it is seeking similar systems. If the same ideas on preemption are applied to China's own PGS, then its nuclear posture may change, whether declared or not.