Pentagon Freak Out: China's Military Is Quickly Catching Up to America's

It is likely that the United States will be involved in a clash with China in the future. An established power, the United States, is watching an emerging power, China, grow and spend increasingly bigger sums on its military.

To be sure, no one should desire war. But a good way to deter an adversary and prevent war is to have a strong and capable military force. Understanding an adversary and its military capabilities is also quite important.

So, how many tanks and artillery pieces does China have? How many warships and fighter jets? How many long-range munitions? How many nuclear warheads?

Chinese Military Capabilities

According to the latest unclassified estimate by the Pentagon, China has the following military capabilities.

In terms of heavy ground weapon systems, the Chinese military has over 4,200 main battle tanks and 7,500 artillery pieces. As far as aviation assets, the Chinese air force has more than 3,400 combat and support aircraft, including fighter jets, bombers, transporters, and surveillance aircraft. In terms of naval assets, the Chinese navy has over 470 warships and support vessels. However, some estimates put the actual number of Chinese combat and support vessels in time of war to over 600.

In terms of nuclear weapons, the Chinese military has approximately 500 nuclear warheads. Although that is a small number compared to the nuclear capabilities of other nuclear powers like the United States and Russia, Beijing’s nuclear capabilities are growing.

In terms of long-range munitions, the Chinese military has approximately 1,400 launchers and 3,150 missiles. The range of these munitions varies from 900 miles to 3,500 miles.

A Growing Military Force

Two years ago, President Xi Jinping won a third term as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party. Following his reelection, he continued appointing personal favorites and loyalists in the top party positions and in the military.

“The PRC’s [People’s Republic of China’s] national strategy is to achieve ‘the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation’ by 2049. The strategy is a determined pursuit of political, social, and military modernity to expand the PRC’s national power, perfect its governance, and revise the international order in support of the PRC’s system of governance and national interests. The PRC views the United States as deploying a whole-of-government effort meant to contain the PRC’s rise, which presents obstacles to its national strategy,” the Pentagon has stated about China and the threat it poses to the United States.

Beijing’s goal under Xi is to modernize the military and bring its capabilities on par with those of the United States. Indeed, the Chinese military is currently undergoing one of the largest military modernizations since World War II. Although the exact figures are contested, the Chinese Communist Party is spending hundreds of billions of dollars on its military every year. For the sake of comparison, the U.S. military has a budget of approximately $850 billion for the current fiscal year.

“PRC leaders stress the imperative of strengthening the PLA [People’s Liberation Army] into a ‘world-class’ military by the end of 2049 as an essential element of its strategy to rejuvenate the PRC into a “great modern socialist country,” the Pentagon has added.

Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.