China’s missiles can reach nearly all of U.S.: Pentagon report

A 2015 report by the Department of Defense says that China has dozens of nuclear-capable missiles that could reach almost anywhere in the U.S.

China’s CSS-4 can hit anywhere except Florida; its DF-31A can hit most of the Pacific coast and parts of the midwest; and the JL-2 is a sea-based nuclear-capable ballistic missile, Business Insider reported Monday.

“China’s military modernization has the potential to reduce core U.S. military technological advantages. China’s officially disclosed military budget grew at an average of 9.5 percent per year in inflation adjusted terms from 2005 through 2014, and China will probably sustain defense spending growth at comparable levels for the foreseeable future,” the Pentagon report says.

The report concludes that one area where China still lags behind the U.S. is the ability to put forth a capable ballistic missile defense system, specifically against an electronic attack or multiple incoming warheads.

“If China is to deploy an effective BMD system, it will need to be supported by a space based early warning system, currently missing from China’s BMD infrastructure,” the report says.