China could have 700 intercontinental ballistic missiles by 2035, an increase from 400 now, according to a Defense Intelligence Agency single page unclassified graphic released in mid-May.
The graphic illustrates potential threats to the U.S. Homeland that the Golden Dome would guard against.
The assessment, called “Golden Dome for America: Current and Future Missile Threats to the U.S. Homeland,” predicts China’s increases in various strategic weapons between now and 2035. According to the predictions, China also will go from 72 submarine-launched ballistic missiles to at least 132 by 2035, from 600 boosted hypersonic weapons to 4,000, and from 1,000 land attack cruise missiles now to 5,000 by 2035.
The report also predicts North Korea in the next decade would increase from 10 or fewer ICBMs now to 50 by 2035.
Additionally, a new classified Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, published May 29, was titled “Missile Defense: Delivery and Testing Goals Unmet for Fiscal Year 2024.” While the office would not disclose other details, the title indicates several delivery and testing goals that the Defense Department did not meet this past year.
This report is likely similar to an unclassified 2023 GAO report titled “Annual Goals Unmet for Deliveries and Testing.” That report said Missile Defense Agency interceptor and radar upgrade deliveries continued to be later than planned and failed to meet its own annual goals.
A version of this story was first published by Exchange Monitor affiliate Defense Daily.
