Pakistan’s Second Strike Capability (Daniel 8:8)

Pakistan could put nukes on new submarines sold by China

Friday – April 17, 2015
By Bloomberg News

Soon, a brash naval captain may pose a bigger risk of triggering a nuclear crisis between India and Pakistan than a religious terrorist.

China is likely to conclude a sale of eight conventional submarines during President Xi Jinping’s visit to Islamabad on Monday, more than doubling Pakistan’s fleet. Analysts say it may be the first step in helping Pakistan gain the ability to fire nuclear weapons at sea, keeping pace with rival India.
The submarine sale will add to tensions in regional waters as Prime Minister Narendra Modi bulks up India’s navy to prevent China from gaining a foothold in the area. Xi’s visit, the first by a Chinese head of state to Pakistan since 2006, will also outline investments in gas pipelines, highways and rail links that will give China access to the Arabian Sea, in part through territory claimed by India.

Although Pakistan’s efforts are “embryonic,” its naval commanders want to follow Israel’s example of equipping conventional submarines with nuclear-tipped missiles, Iskander Rehman of the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based policy research group, said in a March 9 report. Nuclear weapons at sea pose a greater risk than stationary land-based arsenals because they are submerged and harder to detect.

“We are now entering a new era whereby naval interactions will occur under a perpetual nuclear shadow,” Rehman said by phone. “My main concern is less the risk of nuclear terrorism, but rather the dangers tied to naval friction within a newly nuclearized maritime domain.”

Pakistan has the fastest growing nuclear program in the world, according to the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations. Its arsenal, built with the help of Chinese technology, stands at between 100 and 120 warheads, compared with China’s 250 and India with between 90 and 100.

While India began sea trials for its first nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine in 2009, Rehman says the nation is still years from deploying a nuclear weapon at sea. In February India increased its defense budget by 11 percent to $40 billion and approved the building of six nuclear-powered submarines.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government approved a proposal to buy eight Chinese submarines, Rohael Asghar, chairman of a parliamentary panel on defense, said earlier this month. It may be signed during Xi’s visit, he said. It will be the first time China has exported submarines.

Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said she had no more details on the submarine sale. Xi will address a joint session of Pakistan’s parliament, the ministry said in a statement.

“Pakistan has been compelled to develop full spectrum nuclear weapons to maintain its deterrence,” she told reporters on Thursday in Islamabad. “We see very aggressive doctrines emanating from India, so we maintain our credible deterrence.”

China’s defense ministry didn’t immediately respond to faxed questions about the type of submarines to be sold and whether it’ll help Pakistan achieve a sea-borne nuclear deterrent.

The initial objective of Pakistan’s new submarines will be to counter India’s naval dominance in the Indian Ocean, according to Li Jie, a senior researcher from the Chinese Naval Research Institute in Beijing. The vessels will probably be China’s most advanced air-independent propulsion S20 model armed with homing torpedoes and anti-ship missiles, he said.

“The sale will accelerate the process of Pakistan building an underwater warfare platform,” Li said. “It will significantly close the gap in submarine capabilities between the two Indian Ocean rivals.”

Pakistan’s navy at present operates five French diesel- electric submarines: three purchased in the 1990s and two dating from the late 1970s. Aside from India’s lone operational nuclear-powered submarine, it has 13 diesel-electric ones, among which about half are in service.

Pakistan signaled its intention to develop a maritime nuclear deterrent when it established the Naval Strategic Force Command Headquarters in 2012. The force would be the custodian of the “nation’s second-strike capability,” according to a statement on a Pakistan military website, referring to the strategy of responding to a nuclear attack with atomic weapons.

The Nuclear Holocaust At Sea (Revelation 15:2)

Xi’s Submarine Sale Raises Indian Ocean Nuclear Clash Risk

 

Pakistan Navy Submarine

 

An Agosta 90 B submarine sits at Pakistan’s Navy Dockyard in Karachi. China is expected to conclude a sale of eight submarines during President Xi Jinping’s visit to Islamabad on April 20, more than doubling Pakistan’s fleet. Photographer: STR/AFP via 

 

Getty Images

Bloomberg Business

 

Soon a brash naval captain may pose a bigger risk of triggering a nuclear crisis between India and Pakistan than a religious terrorist.China is likely to conclude a sale of eight conventional submarines during President Xi Jinping’s visit to Islamabad on April 20, more than doubling Pakistan’s fleet. Analysts say it may be the first step in helping Pakistan gain the ability to fire nuclear weapons at sea, keeping pace with rival India.The submarine sale will add to tensions in regional waters as Prime Minister Narendra Modi bulks up India’s navy to prevent China from gaining a foothold in the area. Xi’s visit, the first by a Chinese head of state to Pakistan since 2006, will also outline investments in gas pipelines, highways and rail links that will give China access to the Arabian Sea, in part through territory claimed by India.While Pakistan’s efforts are still “embryonic,” its naval commanders want to follow Israel’s example of equipping conventional submarines with nuclear-tipped missiles, Iskander Rehman of the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based policy research group, said in a March 9 report. Nuclear weapons at sea pose a greater risk than stationary land-based arsenals because they are submerged and harder to detect.“We are now entering a new era whereby naval interactions will occur under a perpetual nuclear shadow,” Rehman said by phone. “My main concern is less the risk of nuclear terrorism, but rather the dangers tied to naval friction within a newly nuclearized maritime domain.”

India’s Submarines

Pakistan has the fastest growing nuclear program in the world, according to the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations. Its arsenal, built with the help of Chinese technology, stands at between 100 and 120 warheads, compared with China’s 250 and India with between 90 and 100.

While India began sea trials for its first nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine in 2009, Rehman says the nation is still years from deploying a nuclear weapon at sea. In February India increased its defense budget by 11 percent to $40 billion and approved the building of six nuclear-powered submarines.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government approved a proposal to buy eight Chinese submarines, Rohael Asghar, chairman of a parliamentary panel on defense, said earlier this month. It may be signed during Xi’s visit, he said. It will be the first time China has exported submarines.

Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said she had no more details on the submarine sale. Xi will address a joint session of Pakistan’s parliament, the ministry said in a statement.

Closing the Gap

“Pakistan has been compelled to develop full spectrum nuclear weapons to maintain its deterrence,” she told reporters on Thursday in Islamabad. “We see very aggressive doctrines emanating from India, so we maintain our credible deterrence.”

China’s defense ministry didn’t immediately respond to faxed questions about the type of submarines to be sold and whether it’ll help Pakistan achieve a sea-borne nuclear deterrent.

The initial objective of Pakistan’s new submarines will be to counter India’s naval dominance in the Indian Ocean, according to Li Jie, a senior researcher from the Chinese Naval Research Institute in Beijing. The vessels will probably be China’s most advanced air-independent propulsion S20 model armed with homing torpedoes and anti-ship missiles, he said.

“The sale will accelerate the process of Pakistan building an underwater warfare platform,” Li said. “It will significantly close the gap in submarine capabilities between the two Indian Ocean rivals.”

‘Second-Strike Capability’

Pakistan’s navy at present operates five French diesel-electric submarines: three purchased in the 1990s and two dating from the late 1970s. Aside from India’s lone operational nuclear-powered submarine, it has 13 diesel-electric ones, among which about half are in service.

Pakistan signaled its intention to develop a maritime nuclear deterrent when it established the Naval Strategic Force Command Headquarters in 2012. The force would be the custodian of the “nation’s second-strike capability,” according to a statement on a Pakistan military website, referring to the strategy of responding to a nuclear attack with atomic weapons.

Nuclear Expansion

Lieutenant General Khalid Kidwai told a seminar in Washington D.C. last month that Pakistan plans to expand its nuclear arsenal with weapons deployed on ships or submarines within a “few years.” Kidwai is a former head of the Pakistan military’s Strategic Plans Division, which directs the nation’s nuclear weapons and missile programs.

Since conventionally powered diesel-electric submarines aren’t equipped with vertical launching tubes most commonly used for firing missiles, they would need to modified to fire horizontally from torpedo tubes, according to David Brewster, a specialist in Indo-Pacific security at the Australian National University in Canberra. China would probably help Pakistan with this “although that would be kept under wraps,” Brewster said.

China helped Pakistan in the 1980s to obtain nuclear weapons and the ability to deliver them, and it may be motivated to help it obtain sea-borne nuclear weapons as a balance to India, he said. “The more resources and distraction that Pakistan can soak up, the better from China’s perspective.”

 

Chinese Nuclear Horn Moves To The Sea (Dan 7:7)

 

Chinese navy prepares to launch three new and upgraded nuclear submarines

The submarines will be the most advanced in the PLA navy to date

By JAMIE CAMPBELL
Sunday 05 April 2015

The Chinese Navy is preparing to commission three nuclear-powered attack submarines with the capability to fire supersonic anti-ship missiles, according to reports.

Earlier this week the China Central Television showed satellite images of three submarines anchored at an unidentified port.

They claimed that they were China’s most advanced Type-093G attack submarines.

The submarines are said to be an upgrade of the Type-093, which entered service several years ago and advancements include a longer teardrop hull and a vertical missile launching system, according to a report by China Daily.

According to the report the new variant is engineered to reduce noise, improve speed and mobility and fire the latest YJ-18 supersonic anti-ship missile, capable of causing significant damage to aircraft carriers.

China established its nuclear-powered submarine force in the 1970s but it was never openly revealed to the outside world until 2009 when two nuclear submarines took part in a parade marking the 60th anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army navy’s founding.

Chi Yiliang, editor-in-chief of Modern Ships magazine, told China Daily: “Though China was comparatively late in developing advanced nuclear-powered submarines such as the Type -093G, we used a lot of the most cutting-edge technologies and equipment on our submarines, enabling them to compete with their foreign counterparts.”

Yin Zhuo, a senior expert with the navy, also spoke to China Daily: “Judging from the vessel’s design, the Type-093G should have strong anti-ship and counter-submarine capabilities. It is also likely to be upgraded with the capability of striking land targets with cruise missiles in the near future.”

The announcement comes after U.S Navy leaders told congress leaders in February that China now operates a greater number of attack submarines than the US military and is rapidly expanding the scope of its undersea missions and patrols.

Speaking before the House’s Seapower and Projections Force’s subcommittee Vice Admiral Joseph Mulloy said that the Chinese Navy had rapidly expanded their undersea missions and patrols, according, according to Millitary.com.


“They are deploying some fairly amazing submarines. They’ve now had three deployments in the Indian Ocean. They are expanding where their submarines go.

“We know they are out experimenting and working and operating and certainly want to be in the world of advanced submarines.”

Mulloy cited Chinese production and testing of submarine launched weapons and said that one SSBN, or ballistic missile submarine capable of launching ballistic weapons, undertook a 95-day sea patrol.

This provoked speculation that nuclear-armed Chinese ballistic missile submarines would have the ability to strike at parts of Alaska and Hawaii from undersea locations in the Pacific.


The issue of Chinese naval and submarine development was addressed in the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission’s annual report to Congress in December last year, again reported by Military.com.

The commission said that Chinese plans for modernisation call for a rise in the number of attack submarines and SSBNs. Chinese SSBNs are now able to patrol with nuclear-armed JL-2 missiles that are capable of striking targets as far as 4,500 nautical miles away.

The commission also commented on areas of Chinese-Russian military developmental cooperation, saying that the two countries were working together on a joint deal to build new attack submarines.

The Commission wrote: “China is pursuing joint-design and production of four to six Russian advanced diesel-electric attack submarines containing Russia’s latest submarine sonar, propulsion, and quieting technology.

“The deal would improve the PLA Navy’s capabilities and assist China’s development of quiet submarines, thus complicating future US efforts to track and counter the PLA submarines.”

While it said that that the exact amount of Chinese military spending is difficult to identify, China’s projected defence spending for 2013 was estimated at $131 billion, around a sixth of what the US spends annually.

Pakistani Nuclear Horn Spreads To The Sea (Dan 8)

CHINA TO SELL EIGHT ADVANCED SUBMARINES TO PAKISTAN, ENCIRCLING INDIA

by JOHN J. XENAKIS
4 Apr 2015

The naval arms race between India and Pakistan took a big leap forward this week, as Pakistan signed a deal to acquire eight advanced conventional (non-nuclear) diesel-powered submarines from China. Pakistan’s Ministry of Defense said that the eight submarines were being purchased from China to address the force imbalance with India, as India has been expanding its own fleet.

China and Pakistan are “all-weather” friends, and this is a particularly large military sale. Also, as a sign of Pakistan’s close relationship with China, this is the first time China has exported its submarines to anyone.

India has been expanding its fleet not just because of Pakistan, but because of China. China has been rapidly expanding its own fleet ( “28-Feb-15 World View — US Navy says that China now has more attack submarines than US”), and India claims that China has been “encircling” India with naval bases.

The Indians particularly point to the Gwadar Port on the Indian Ocean in Pakistan, which China has been developing. The port serves a dual purpose. On the one hand, it is a military naval base. But it is also a way for China to avoid maritime choke points in the Indian and Pacific oceans by moving Persian Gulf oil and gas over land from Gwadar to China.

China claims to have three principles in selling arms to other counts:

The arms must be for self-defense.

The weapons must not impair the peace, security and stability of the region.

The weapons sales must not interfere with the recipient nation’s internal affairs.

However, Western nations have accused China of repeatedly impairing the stability of the region, such as through the sales of advanced cruise missiles to Pakistan that began in the 1990s. Those accusations will certainly be renewed with China’s sale of this submarine fleet to Pakistan.

A few days ago, I reported on Pakistan’s close relationship with Saudi Arabia. As I have been saying for about ten years, Generational Dynamics predicts that the world is headed for a new “Clash of Civilizations” world war that will pit the West, India, Russia and Iran versus China, Pakistan and the Sunni Muslim countries.

Pakistan To Complete Nuclear Triad (Daniel 8:8)

Pakistan to buy eight submarines from China

Written by Sushant Singh | New Delhi | Updated: April 2, 2015 12:44 am

Pakistan government has approved the purchase of eight submarines from China, as per an “in principle” decision conveyed during a hearing of the Pakistan National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Defence. Pakistan has been negotiating the purchase of six submarines – now increased to eight — from China since 2011.

Pakistan Navy currently operates five French submarines: three Agosta 90B submarines purchased in the 1990s and two Agosta 70 submarines of late 1970s vintage. It also has three MG110 miniature submarines. After the recent accidents, the number of active duty submarines in Indian Navy is now down to 13 diesel-electric submarines and the nuclear-powered INS Chakra.

Although Pakistan navy officers neither gave the cost of the deal nor disclosed the types of submarines being procured from China, reports suggest that Beijing is likely to offer Yuan-class Type-041 diesel-electric submarines in a $4bn-$5bn deal. As per IHS Jane’s Fighting Ships, the Type 041 ‘Yuan’ class is a diesel electric attack submarine (SSK), potentially with Stirling air independent propulsion, that is armed with YJ-2 (YJ-82) anti-ship missiles and a combination of Yu-4 (SAET-50) passive homing and Yu-3 (SET-65E) active/passive homing torpedoes.

At $4bn-$5bn, this deal is likely to be China’s biggest ever arms sale, much bigger than the deal for 50 JF-17 fighter jets bought by Pakistan in 2010 for around $1bn. As per the latest SIPRI report, Pakistan bought more than 40 per cent of China’s arms exports during the past five years, making it China’s top arms importer.

Pakistan had earlier tried to purchase three Type 214 diesel-electric submarines from Germany but the deal could not be finalized as Islamabad deemed them to be too expensive. Pakistan also held negotiations with France for acquiring Scorpène-class submarines but French refused to sell them to Pakistan. The Agosta submarine scandal of 1994 with its ongoing corruption charges and death of 11 French engineers in Karachi in a terror attack in 2002 contributed to the French refusal.

China is likely to offer a long-term loan to Pakistan, possibly at a low interest rate, to cover the cost of this new deal.

Iskander Rehman, a non-resident Fellow in the South Asia Programme at the Atlantic Council in Washington DC who authored the report ‘Murky Waters: Naval Nuclear Dynamics in the Indian Ocean’ believes that this purchase will have a significant impact on the sub-continental naval equation. “Unlike India, Pakistan does not seek so much to project  naval power as to to deny access to its principal maritime approaches. The addition of another eight diesel-electric submarines to the Pakistani fleet will render Indian naval operations along the Makran coastline far more challenging in times of conflict,” Rehman says.

 

First Published on: April 1, 201510:36 pm