China nukes to be pointed at U.S.

[David Morris]

By John J. Lumpkin
Jan. 9, 2002 | WASHINGTON --

China is expected to have between 75 and 100 long-range nuclear missiles 
pointed at the United States by 2015, roughly quadruple the current number, 
according to a CIA report released Wednesday.

Many of those intercontinental ballistic missiles will be on mobile 
launchers, helping China maintain a nuclear deterrent against the vastly 
larger U.S. missile force, says the report, titled "Foreign Missile 
Developments and the Ballistic Missile Threat Through 2015."

Echoing earlier intelligence estimates, the report also says North Korea and 
Iran will probably have long-range missiles capable of reaching the United 
States by 2015. These assessments have been used to justify U.S. plans for 
multibillion-dollar missile defense systems capable of shooting down a 
limited ICBM attack on the continental United States.


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