On October 17, Financial Times reported that China had conducted a test of a hypersonic glide vehicle that circled the earth in low-orbit space before cruising onto its target. Earlier in the summer, through multiple media reports, we learnt that China is constructing at least 250 long-range missile silos at three different locations. In addition, we know from the 2020 United States (US) department of defense report that China intends to move to a launch-on-warning posture for its missile forces. To this end, Beijing is reportedly working on a space-based early warning system. Moreover, experts such as Austin Long and officers such as US Navy Admiral Charles Richard have pointed towards potential shifts in Chinese no-first-use policy. Read the full article here. 

Kunal Singh is a PhD student in security studies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His research interests include nuclear deterrence and South Asian security. Prior to joining the MIT community, he was a journalist with Hindustan Times in India. He is a trained engineer from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur.