US Launches Mass Production of Latest Missiles... Countering China and Russia

President Trump Applies Defense Production Act to Missile Manufacturing
US Department of Defense: "Massive Investment in Chinese and Russian Hypersonic Missiles... We Must Respond"
Warning Message Amid Revision Talks on New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia
US Deploys Troops to Poland and Announces Sanctions List on Chinese Companies... Comprehensive Pressure

The hypersonic missile 'AGM-183A' being developed by the U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin since 2018. It is aimed for operational deployment in 2021. [Image source: U.S. Air Force website/www.af.mil]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The U.S. government announced that it will invoke the Defense Production Act (DPA) for advanced missile capabilities, including hypersonic missiles. This means significantly increasing production levels to a wartime scale.

As negotiations to revise the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) have recently begun, this move is seen as a warning message to both China and Russia, who are engaged in missile competition. In particular, the U.S. has raised pressure on China and Russia by announcing plans to deploy U.S. troops stationed in Germany to Poland and by releasing a sanctions list targeting Chinese companies such as Huawei, which are linked to the People's Liberation Army.

On the 24th (local time), the White House announced that President Donald Trump signed an executive order invoking the DPA for components needed for hypersonic missiles, strategic missiles, and space launch systems. Accordingly, the U.S. Department of Defense can now mass-produce missile parts to strengthen advanced missile capabilities with domestic defense contractors. The DPA is a law primarily enacted for wartime production of war materials, created during the Korean War on September 6, 1950. The U.S. government also invoked this law in March during the COVID-19 outbreak to order the production of masks and ventilators.

In a related statement, the U.S. Department of Defense said that as the missile threat from China and Russia intensifies, it will further strengthen missile defense capabilities. John Hill, director of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA), emphasized, "China and Russia are investing heavily in developing new technologies across all missile domains, including hypersonic, cruise, and ballistic missiles, while Iran and North Korea remain ongoing threats. To protect the U.S. and its allies, missile defense capabilities must be established everywhere?on land and in space."

The launch of the Minuteman-3 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test-fired by the U.S. Air Force last February [Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

This move is notable as it coincides with the start of the New START revision talks between the U.S. and Russia. According to the Associated Press, Marshall Billingslea, U.S. Special Representative for Arms Control, stated at the first meeting on New START revision held in Vienna, Austria, the day before, "We emphasize that China must participate because it is secretly increasing the scale and number of its nuclear weapons, but Russia insists on a multilateral agreement that includes France and the United Kingdom," adding, "We will continue to pressure China to participate." The New START treaty is a nuclear arms reduction agreement between the U.S. and Russia signed during the Barack Obama administration in 2011, set to expire in February next year.

On the same day, the U.S. also announced plans to deploy U.S. troops stationed in Germany to Poland and impose sanctions on Chinese companies. According to Bloomberg News, President Trump said at a press conference following a summit with Polish President Andrzej Duda at the White House, "We will move some of the troops stationed in Germany to Poland," adding, "This move will send a strong signal to Russia."

The U.S. Department of Defense submitted a list to Congress classifying 20 Chinese companies as linked to the Chinese People's Liberation Army. This list includes Huawei, China's largest telecommunications equipment company, video security company Hikvision, China Mobile, and China Telecom. These companies may face financial sanctions such as asset freezes and bans on financial transactions within the U.S. under President Trump's order.

The image shows a mobile missile launcher participating in the Victory Day military parade commemorating the end of World War II, held on the 24th (local time) at Red Square in Moscow, Russia. [Image source=Yonhap News]

China and Russia have shown resistance to U.S. pressure. Wu Qian, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, strongly opposed at a monthly briefing held that day, responding to Japanese media reports that the U.S. is discussing deploying intermediate-range ballistic missiles at U.S. bases in Japan, saying, "Provoking at China's doorstep is absolutely unacceptable," and "We will take all necessary measures to resolutely counterattack."

Despite the worsening COVID-19 outbreak, Russia held a large-scale military parade to showcase its military power. The parade featured Russia's advanced hypersonic missile "Kinzhal," the S-400 air defense missile system, and the tactical missile Iskander, which incorporates missile defense evasion maneuvering technology. In his commemorative speech, President Vladimir Putin said, "It was the Soviet people who destroyed Nazism, and we destroyed more than 80% of the enemy's army," adding, "History has shown that no ruthless army could stand against the unity of the Soviet people," proudly displaying his country's military strength.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.