China’s military ambitions are reaching unprecedented levels, according to a Department of Defense (DoD) report, prompting comparisons to Nаzi Germany’s pre-World War II build-up. The report highlights a rapid expansion of Beijing’s military capabilities, from nuclear weapons to advanced psychological warfare strategies, painting a stark picture of the growing threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Chuck DeVore, a retired Army lieutenant colonel and policy expert, sounded the alarm in an op-ed for The Federalist and a recent Fox & Friends Weekend appearance. “China is engaging in an unprecedented military build-up that the world frankly hasn’t seen since Adolf Hitler in the 1930s,” DeVore warned. Unlike Hitlеr’s focus on land power, China’s efforts span nuclear capabilities, missile defense, and a naval expansion that has already eclipsed the U.S. in terms of ship numbers.
The DoD report reveals chilling details: China’s nuclear arsenal has grown to over 600 operational warheads and is projected to exceed 1,000 by 2030. Its People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) has added 50 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of reaching the U.S., and its hypersonic missile arsenal, including the DF-27, can evade current U.S. defenses while targeting critical territories like Guam, Hawaii, and Alaska. China’s Navy, already the world’s largest, is expected to grow from 370 vessels to 435 by 2030.
The report also underscores China’s cutting-edge psychological warfare strategy, dubbed Cognitive Domain Operations (CDO). This initiative blends traditional propaganda with advanced technologies like artificial intelligence, big data, and neuroscience. The goal? “Mind dominance.” According to the DoD, the CCP aims to influence public opinion and polarize societies to weaken resistance to its military and geopolitical objectives.
DeVore argues that the U.S. has spent the last two decades focused on counterterrorism and nation-building while neglecting the rising Chinese threat. He calls on Congress and the incoming Trump administration to reprioritize defense spending, emphasizing naval modernization, nuclear deterrence, and missile defense.
China’s efforts extend beyond traditional military hardware. The PLA is investing heavily in global influence operations and information dominance, intending to neutralize opponents before conflict even begins. As the report states, “To subdue the enemy without fighting is the highest realm of warfare.”
With China’s ambitions clear and its capabilities growing, DeVore’s warning is stark but timely: the U.S. must act decisively to counter this existential threat. If not, America risks falling behind in a new era of global power struggles.