Congress report: China on 'war footing' — 350 new ICBM silos, AI-enabled electronic warfare and a full nuclear triad

Congressional report: China accelerating nuclear and AI-enabled military capabilities

The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission's 2025 annual report warns that China has entered what it describes as a 'war footing,' driven by a rapid expansion of nuclear forces and newly fielded artificial intelligence-enabled systems. The report documents a roughly 20% rise in Beijing's nuclear warhead stockpile over the past year and the construction of about 350 new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) silos.

Alongside the nuclear buildup, the commission highlights advances in electronic warfare and communications: an AI-powered electronic-warfare capability that can detect and suppress radar signals at long range — reportedly reaching U.S. territories such as Guam, the Marshall Islands and Alaska — and the rollout of 6G-linked platforms claimed to coordinate radar jamming and signal interception across extended distances. The report describes these developments as part of Beijing's move toward so-called 'intelligentized warfare.'

At a Beijing military parade in September, China publicly displayed for the first time systems representing a full nuclear triad — delivery options from land, air and sea. The commission cautions that these combined military and technological gains, paired with intensified domestic political control and economic leverage, could allow China to act quickly in a crisis and shorten the warning time available to the United States and its partners.

Risks and strategic implications

The report calls attention to several strategic concerns:

• China is estimated to now hold about 600 nuclear warheads, with Pentagon assessments that Beijing could field roughly 1,000 by 2030.
• A conflict over Taiwan could have catastrophic economic and security consequences; the commission estimates it could eliminate up to 10% of global GDP and carries a significant risk of escalation across the Indo-Pacific, including potential nuclear dangers.
• Economic coercion is identified as a force-multiplying vulnerability: Beijing's dominance in semiconductors, rare-earth minerals and circuit-board production could leave the United States and allies dependent on a strategic rival for critical components.

Policy recommendations

To address these challenges, the commission makes 28 recommendations to Congress and the executive branch, including:

• Requiring the Department of Defense to conduct a full audit of U.S. readiness to defend Taiwan, with both classified and unclassified assessments of whether U.S. forces could resist coercion or force, even if facing simultaneous pressure from other adversaries.
• Barring Chinese-made components from U.S. power grids and other critical infrastructure.
• Creating a unified economic-statecraft agency to improve export control enforcement and coordinate economic responses.
• Reaffirming diplomatic support for Taiwan, including backing its international relationships such as its partnership with the Vatican.

The commission concludes that without a coordinated U.S. response, America’s deterrence posture risks falling short against Beijing’s rapidly expanding military and economic capabilities.

Source: U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, 2025 annual report to the U.S. Congress.