[staytrue]

"For China, nuclear weapons largely have four purposes: one, strategic deterrence; two, retaliation; three, counter-coercion; and four, great-power status,"

It seems to me, second strike missles are a good thing.

[thoughtomator]

Why are these "second-strike" missiles unsuitable for a first strike?

[Brad from Tennessee]

"It seems to me, second strike missles are a good thing."

It is a good thing if you believe in mutual assured destruction (MAD). Second strike capability allows the PRC to retaliate against a U.S. first strike. Currently, the U.S. enjoys nuclear primacy over both the Russian and Chicom nuclear forces. The U.S. can destroy the nuclear forces of either country, in a first strike, to the extent that the enemy is too damaged to retaliate. If this article is correct, that status is changing.

[Kuehn12]

The information about the type 94 nuclear missile submarine has been out for some time, and isn't a great concern with advent of the Virgina, and Seawolf class nuclear subs. We (US) can detect and retaliate with a vastly larger strategic nuclear sub force which I would bet moves quietly and undetected off the Chinese coast. The DF31, DF5, and its various incarnations will be of little use against the National Missile Defense system, a system that will continually evolve over the next few decades. Now, I admit that there is some danger that if the midterm election becomes a sentinel election ushering in a large number of liberal and moderate congressmen and senator the NMD could be in danger. However, this is the conservative "Chicken Little" way of looking at things. Most midterm election produce very little change in the makeup the both houses. The next presidential election will in my opinion bring many surprises to those believe that Hillary is going to be president. I believe there might many dark horse on both sides of the isle that could knock off the front runners and so I think the NMD system will be funded well into the future because whomever is elected president in 2008 they will be only varying degrees of right of center, and not left of center. The country in is more conservative than anyone in the Washington punditry thinks.