The national flag of China is displayed in a street on October 1, 2023 in Wuhan, Hubei province, China. China is celebrating their 73nd National Day and a week-long holiday known as the “Golden Week”. (Photo by Getty Images)

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 3:30 PM PT – Tuesday, November 29, 2022

A new report detailing China’s nuclear warhead has mounted further concern over the country’s activities.

On Tuesday, the Pentagon released a report claiming that China may have up to 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035 if it continues down its current path.

The military activity around the country heightened following House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August.

As of 2021, China was said to have more than 400 warheads. Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder made a comment.

“The challenge here is the more proliferation there is, the more concerning it is, the more destabilizing to the region it is. So certainly, we would want to ensure that from a regional, global, and regional stability standpoint that we can maintain an open dialogue to ensure there’s transparency and that we understand what the intent is behind this,” Ryder said.

Meanwhile, China says they are only open to dialogue if the U.S. reduces their own stockpile level of nukes.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks during a press conference at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on November 16, 2022. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 1:50 PM PT – Tuesday, November 29, 2022

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has warned Congress that failure to pass a new spending bill for the Pentagon will result in significant harm to the U.S. and National Security.

Biden signed an interim spending bill which secures funding for Federal agencies until December 16th. However, a new bill must be agreed upon by then to avoid a Government shutdown. The clock is ticking for lawmakers to pass a new spending bill.

In a letter on Monday, Austin urged congressional lawmakers to act quickly to secure funding for the Pentagon and other government agencies.

“The CR costs us time as well as money, and money can’t buy back time, especially for lost training events,” Austin stated. “Under the CR, Congress prohibits the military from commencing new initiatives, such as those requested by our theater commanders in the Indo-Pacific and around the world or in support of service members and their families at home.”

One option is for Congress to pass a continuing resolution. That resolution would maintain funding. The second option would be a temporary funding measure that would give lawmakers more time to agree on a bigger omnibus spending package.

In his concluding remark, Austin pointed out that with our hands are tied behind our back three, four, five or six months of every fiscal year and that the United States would never be able to outcompete China. Officials have referred to this as the most serious foe.