DOD: China's Military Catching Up with Western Air Forces

China is working to rapidly modernize and expand its nuclear forces in the next decade at a pace that "dwarfs previous attempts in both scale and complexity," the Department of Defense said.

Kimberly Johnson

Thursday, October 19, 2023 at 05:29 PM ET

Verified

Between the fall of 2021 and fall of 2023, the United States documented over 180 instances of PLA coercive and risky air intercepts against U.S. aircraft in the region, according to DOD. [Courtesy: DOD]

Key Takeaways:

China is rapidly modernizing its military, particularly its air forces, and is considered the Department of Defense's top "pacing challenge."
The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) is expanding with domestically built aircraft, uncrewed aerial systems (UASs), and nuclear-capable bombers, as China rapidly increases its nuclear warhead count.
China has significantly increased dangerous and coercive actions in the Indo-Pacific, documenting over 180 risky air intercepts against U.S. aircraft and around 100 against allies since late 2021.

See a mistake? Contact us.

China is catching up with Western air forces, the Department of Defense told members of Congress in a report detailing the U.S. military competitor’s efforts to build up its defenses.

“The 2022 National Defense Strategy identifies the [The People’s Republic of China] as [an] increasingly capable military as the department’s top pacing challenge,” a senior DOD official told reporters Thursday.