Latest news with #StimsonCenter
Time of India
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
US Air Force sounds alarm on China's missile arsenal and 'Kill Web' threat
US Air Force leaders are alarmed by China's growing missile capabilities and its development of a sophisticated "kill web" for targeting US forces. Experts suggest a full-scale invasion of Taiwan is unlikely due to high risks. Instead, China might opt for coercive measures like blockades and political warfare to achieve its objectives, according to a Stimson Center seminar. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Leaders in the US Air Force have expressed worries regarding the missile capabilities of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and its development of a " kill web ," noting that the forthcoming budget request from the US Department of Defense emphasizes enhancing defenses in the Indo-Pacific due to the escalating threat from China, as reported by the Taipei in the US believe that a full-scale invasion by China is both risky and improbable, suggesting that Beijing is more likely to adopt coercive measures such as political warfare or blockades to achieve its objectives. High-ranking officers from the Air Force and the US Space Force, including US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink and Chief of Space Operations General Chance Saltzman, participated in a Senate subcommittee hearing to discuss the defence budget for the upcoming Meink and Saltzman remarked that the PLA is making progress in its ballistic missile capabilities . They noted that China possesses over 900 short-range missiles capable of targeting Taiwan, along with 400 land-based missiles that can reach the first island chain. In addition, they highlighted China's arsenal of 1,300 medium-range ballistic missiles that can strike the second island chain, 500 intermediate-range ballistic missiles that can reach parts of Alaska and Australia, and more than 400 intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear payloads globally, according to the Taipei Times expressed his greatest concern regarding China's "kill web," which allows the PLA to monitor US joint forces and operations from significant distances. He mentioned last March that China had already deployed over 470 intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance satellites, which contribute information to a sophisticated sensor-to-shooter kill web. This type of "kill web," which connects sensors directly to strike units, speeds up attack execution through data sharing and automation, facilitating strikes to be carried out within another development, the Stimson Center, a think tank based in Washington, hosted a seminar titled "The Realities of an Invasion of Taiwan," in which senior fellow Dan Grazier, fellow James Siebens, and research associate MacKenna Rawlins examined the strategic, political, economic, and military considerations that China may factor into its invasion plans for from research that included field investigations in Taiwan, Grazier and his team concluded that attempting an amphibious assault on the island would involve significant risks, such as the threat of nuclear escalation , political instability, and economic fallout, with a low likelihood of success. Grazier indicated that the potential risks involved in invading Taiwan far surpass any possible benefits, while Siebens noted that China has various military strategies that could be more viable and simpler to execute, including a blockade, emphasizing that China is pursuing unification through political warfare and coercive tactics, as cited by the Taipei Times report.
New York Times
3 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
China Tightens Controls on Fentanyl but Calls It a U.S. Problem
China has strengthened controls on two chemicals that can be used to make fentanyl, its latest step in addressing an issue that has become tangled in its broader trade dispute with the United States. The Trump administration has accused Beijing of not doing enough to stem the flow of fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, into the United States, where it kills tens of thousands of Americans each year. Earlier this year, the administration cited the issue as it imposed tariffs totaling 20 percent on Chinese goods. This week, six Chinese government agencies said they had added two chemicals, 4-piperidone and 1-Boc-4-piperidone, to a list of so-called precursor chemicals, or base ingredients, for fentanyl that would be more strictly controlled, according to a joint statement. The move 'demonstrates China's sincerity in wanting to work with the United States on this issue,' said Yun Sun, the director of the China program at the Stimson Center, a Washington research institute. The new restrictions, which take effect on July 20, were announced days after China's minister of public security, Wang Xiaohong, met with David Perdue, the recently appointed U.S. ambassador to China, in Beijing last week to discuss efforts to fight drug trafficking. The United States has accused Chinese producers of supplying drug cartels with the ingredients to make fentanyl, which the cartels smuggle into the United States. China has maintained, however, that it is not responsible for America's fentanyl crisis, which it says is rooted in the abuse of prescription painkillers and ineffective regulation in that country. 'We've repeatedly made it clear that fentanyl is the United States' problem, not China's,' Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry, said on Tuesday. 'It's the United States' responsibility to solve the issue.' The tariffs imposed by the Trump administration over fentanyl are still in place, even though overall levies on Chinese goods came down to 55 percent from 145 percent or more in May, after the two countries agreed to a truce in their trade war. Chinese restrictions on its exports of crucial minerals recently threatened to derail that détente, but President Trump and China's top leader, Xi Jinping, agreed to revive trade talks during a call this month. The two leaders also discussed the possibility of meeting in China. Wu Xinbo, the dean of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, said that China would like to host Mr. Trump, but that it depended on progress made on disputes over trade and issues like fentanyl. Another option, Mr. Wu said, could be for the two leaders to meet on the sidelines of the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Seoul, which starts in late October. Mr. Xi usually attends the summit, and American presidents have typically done so, but neither leader has said whether he will participate in this one. Berry Wang contributed research.
Miami Herald
6 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
US attacked the three main nuclear sites in Iran, Trump says
President Donald Trump said American jets struck Iran's three main nuclear sites, pulling the U.S. directly into the country's conflict despite his longtime promises to avoid new wars. Trump said Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan were struck in the operation, specifically describing a "payload of BOMBS" dropped on Fordow, a key location of uranium enrichment that has raised international concern that Iran was preparing to create a nuclear weapon. The president called the operation "very successful," adding that the aircraft involved had exited Iranian air space, and are "safely on their way home." "NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE!" he wrote on Truth Social. Trump also said he would address the nation about the military operation at 10 p.m. at the White House. "Part of the area surrounding the Fordow nuclear site came under aerial attack by enemy forces" early Sunday after air defenses in the city of Qom were activated, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported, citing a spokesman for the city's crisis management headquarters. The Fordow nuclear facility sits around 30 kilometers (18 miles) south of Qom, and 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of the capital, Tehran. Trump's decision to launch the strikes was a surprise given that he had said late last week he would make a decision within two weeks, suggesting he was willing to give more time for negotiations. On Friday, the foreign ministers of France, Germany and the U.K. had met with Iranian officials in a bid to prevent a U.S. attack. It could immediately open the U.S. to attack since Iran had warned it would retaliate if Trump ordered strikes. Trump's combative language in the last couple of days had also triggered new threats from the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and led Iranian officials to call the U.S. Israel's "partner in crime." "I hope that the Iranians are measured in their response but there will be a response - this is an act of war by the United States against a foreign country, which has not attacked us lately," said Barbara Slavin, a distinguished fellow at the Stimson Center. "Americans are at risk all over the Middle East, all over the world." Earlier Saturday, the State Department said the U.S. had begun evacuating U.S. citizens from Israel. The agency organized two flights to Athens from Tel Aviv with about 70 U.S. citizens, family member and permanent residents, it said. The continued fighting has evoked fears of a regional conflict that results in massive civilian casualties, and disrupts the flow of energy and other trade through the region. Around a fifth of the world's daily oil supply goes through the Strait of Hormuz, which lies between Iran and its gulf Arab neighbors. For days, Trump had faced conflicting advice from his supporters, after he campaigned for president on promises to keep the U.S. out of foreign wars, pointing to American involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq. MAGA allies including longtime Trump supporter Steve Bannon, have warned against any U.S. intervention, insisting this is Israel's fight to finish. Yet other Republicans had been urging Trump to join the fight against Iran, arguing that Tehran was more vulnerable after days of air strikes by Israel, and there was a strong opportunity to deliver on the president's long insistence the regime cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon. Trump and his advisers had suggested in recent days that any strike would be limited. "This is not the start of a forever war," Sen. Jim Risch, the Idaho Republican and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on X. "There will not be American boots on the ground in Iran. This was a precise, limited strike, which was necessary and by all accounts was very successful." Energy experts have raised concerns that crude flows in the region could be imperiled if Iran and its proxies retaliate in response to a U.S. attack. Fears have focused on the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf that is a key transit point for 26% of the world's oil trade. Houthis have previously disrupted Red Sea shipping, with attacks on ships in the Bab el Mandeb strait forcing vessels to reroute around Africa. A broader attack - including potentially planting naval mines - on the Strait of Hormuz could have even wider consequences, since it's such a vital artery for the region's oil and gas output. U.S. ally Israel had launched a surprise attack on Iran on June 13, saying the imminent threat of the regime in Tehran securing nuclear weapons had to be neutralized. Iran's military infrastructure was seriously damaged and a number of its top generals and atomic scientists were killed. But Israel lacked the heavy bombs and B-2 stealth jets believed to be required to destroy nuclear sites buried deep underground. Tehran had responded to Israel's strikes by firing waves of ballistic missiles and drones, breaching aerial defenses, striking several cities and causing unprecedented damage. But the number of projectiles launched by Iran dropped markedly after the first few days of the conflict, raising questions about the number of missiles left in its arsenal and its ability to launch them. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
France 24
18-06-2025
- Politics
- France 24
'Trump did not have the desire, the courage, or the will to tell Israelis not to start this war'
Iran's supreme leader on Wednesday rejected U.S. calls for surrender in the face of blistering Israeli strikes and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause 'irreparable damage' to them, in a recorded video aired by state TV. It was the second public appearance by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei since the strikes began, and came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump demanded 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER' in a social media post and warned Khamenei that the U.S. knows where he is but has no plans to kill him, 'at least not for now.' Trump initially distanced himself from Israel's surprise attack on Friday that triggered the conflict, but in recent days has hinted at greater American involvement, saying he wants something 'much bigger' than a ceasefire. The U.S. has also sent more military aircraft and warships to the region. Khamenei dismissed the 'threatening and absurd statements' by Trump. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective, FRANCE 24's Erin Ogunkeye is pleased to welcome Barbara Slavin, Distinguished Fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington and Lecturer in International Affairs at George Washington University. Video by: Erin Ogunkeye
Al Jazeera
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Only the US can get Israel to 'stop the attacks' on Iran
Barbara Slavin, a distinguished fellow at the Stimson Center, analyses Israel's stated goal of destroying Iran's nuclear programme and says it won't be possible without US help.
