[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 105 (Friday, June 22, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E897]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RUSSIAN AND CHINESE NUCLEAR ARSENALS: POSTURE, PROLIFERATION, AND THE 
                         FUTURE OF ARMS CONTROL

                                  _____
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 22, 2018

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the world today is in a new era of 
great power rivalry. Resurgent Russia and China are challenging U.S. 
interests across the globe. Both are rapidly modernizing their 
militaries to directly challenge America's dominance on the battlefield 
and to undermine our alliances around the world. The potential for 
major conflict is closer now than it has been since the Cold War.
  China and Russia's rising power has huge implications for how we 
trade, how we target rogue regimes, and how the entire international 
system works. While we often focus on Iran and North Korea's nuclear 
programs, we tend to overlook the two atomic arsenals that pose the 
greatest danger to our security. But with Russia and China's aggressive 
behavior in places like Ukraine, Georgia, and the South China Sea, we 
are forced to rethink our deterrence against such threats.
  Comparing our nuclear arsenals, it's clear China and Russia have been 
intent on challenging U.S. dominance and coercing our friends for some 
time. While we have barely upgraded some of our nuclear systems since 
they were first deployed in the early 1980s, China and Russia have 
introduced new weapons. We may be reluctant to maintain and upgrade 
such devastating weapons, but our strategic rivals are not. If we allow 
Russia or China to achieve nuclear superiority over us, the results 
will be dire for our allies and for the international order we have 
spent decades building.
  Just in March, Vladimir Putin unveiled several new nuclear weapons 
intended to make our missile defenses ``useless.'' They include a new 
heavy ICBM, a nuclear-powered cruise missile with ``unlimited range,'' 
and a nuclear-powered unmanned submarine designed to sneak into coastal 
cities and explode. Such a heavy investment in nuclear arms is 
concerning and demonstrates Putin's priority is not disarmament but 
strategic dominance.
  However, Putin left something out of his threatening display. He did 
not include the new ground-launched cruise missile which the State 
Department has said for years is violating the INF Treaty. This missile 
undermines years of arms control negotiations and the good faith we 
have hoped to build with the Russians since the end of the Cold War. 
With the New START treaty expiring in 2021, the INF violation casts 
real doubt on continued strategic arms limitations with the Russians 
going forward. If the START treaty expires, the Russians will be 
completely free to expand their nuclear stockpile to what it was during 
the darkest days of the Cold War. This will likely force others--
including ourselves--to also build more bombs.
  Worse, now that China is a major rival, we could be pushed into a 
situation more dangerous than the Cold War. We have been fortunate that 
China has kept its nuclear stockpile relatively small, focusing on 
minimal deterrence. But China is building new delivery systems to match 
our own and is not restrained to arms control agreements like those 
between the U.S. and Russia. China is rapidly building new ballistic 
missile submarines and mobile ICBMs which will further strain our 
military's ability to track. Beijing is also making advances in 
hypersonic missiles that will make early warning systems ineffective.
  Yet, the major concern with China is its willingness to proliferate 
nuclear technology to rogue regimes. Iran, North Korea, and Pakistan 
have all benefited from Chinese assistance. In many cases, China has 
directly sold nuclear and missile technology to these terrorist 
regimes. China's low regard for non-proliferation standards has been 
irresponsible and created increased instability around the globe.
  For too long we have not addressed the source of these rising 
threats. North Korea and Iran are major problems, but they would be far 
more isolated and far less dangerous if they did not have backing from 
Russia and China. Even our need for missile defense--which China and 
Russia claim is so destabilizing--would be unnecessary if these rogue 
regimes did not have help from Moscow and Beijing.
  As we think about the future of our nuclear forces and the future of 
arms control, we must have a clear view of the threats we face. China 
and Russia are capable adversaries. Left unchecked they will surpass us 
and make the world less safe. Therefore, we must continue to engage 
them to restrict the number and capability of these terrible weapons 
while making clear we will not allow them to gain the nuclear 
advantage.
  Ronald Reagan once said, ``a nuclear war cannot be won and must never 
be fought.'' We must continue his legacy by seeking a world without 
nuclear arms.
  And that's just the way it is.

                          ____________________