China showcases X-band radar, pointing to its own missile, space defense

: World Tribune; 22 November 2024; Hits: 1

FPI / November 22, 2024

By Richard Fisher

Number 8 in “President Trump’s 20 Core Promises” states: “Prevent World War Three, restore peace in Europe and in the Middle East, and build a great iron dome missile defense shield over our entire country — all made in America.”

However, the revelation of a new X-Band Radar at the Nov. 12-17 Zhuhai Airshow indicates that China could soon build it own “iron dome,” or a National Missile Defense system that would compliment its rapidly growing nuclear armed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) arsenal.

The creation of a National Missile Defense system was the dream of former President Ronald Reagan.

His calculation was that the building of effective defenses against nuclear armed ballistic missiles would make their continued construction irrational beyond the negotiated balance of offensive missiles and defensive missiles, which over time might then create confidence in lower numbers of nuclear missiles.

Reagan’s dream was never realized due to decades of opposition from Congressional liberals and a large U.S. arms control lobby that regarded the building of missile defenses as an incitement for Russia and China to build ever more nuclear missiles.

From the 1980s onward China vociferously opposed U.S. efforts to build missile defenses, at times calling such a U.S. capability to be destabilizing and against the security interests of China.

For example, in October 2012 the U.S. moved a large X-Band radar to Japan, which could quickly track and target North Korean missiles aimed at Japan, but likely, could also see into China and track its missiles.

On Oct. 13, 2013, then Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said, “Some countries have pushed forward anti-missile system deployment in the Asia-Pacific region to seek unilateral security, which runs against regional stability and mutual trust as well as peace and stability in Northeast Asia.”

Unfortunately, much of the elite leadership that has determined U.S. strategic defense policy bought the Chinese line that a significant U.S. missile defense capability would force China to increase its then relatively modest long range nuclear weapons capability.

While the U.S. has built a small limited missile defense capability based in Alaska and Washington state to deter attack from North Korea’s long range nuclear missiles, it has been a constant in U.S. policy not to build a robust National Missile Defense to defend all Americans from Russian and Chinese nuclear missiles — the dream of Reagan.

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China showcases X-band radar, pointing to its own missile, space defense