ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress to Vote NO
On the National Defense Authorization Act
(December 10, 2022) — This week, the Senate is voting on the largest Pentagon budget ever. We need to catch the warmongering lies about China before they take us to war.
To pressure Congress into authorizing the largest defense budget ever, the Pentagon just released its annual report on China,* which dangerously misrepresents the country’s defense strategy. Such deliberate lies about China to drum up justification for more US war-spending need to be urgently addressed.
Let’s Debunk the Pentagon’s Lies
On Nuclear Weapons
According to the Pentagon report, China possesses around 400 nuclear warheads with no clear plan on how to use them. If this estimation of China’s arsenal is correct, it’s still trivial compared to the US’s almost 6,000 warheads.
China is the only nuclear power with an unconditional “no first use” policy, and has been clear that it only intends to use its nuclear power for assurance and defense. Meanwhile, the US is the only country to have used nuclear weapons in war and has also flirted with escalating tensions into a nuclear war with Russia this year. Who is preparing for war?
On Global Military Presence
The Pentagon reports that, since China established its first overseas military base in Djibouti, it has ambitions to expand its military presence globally. At the same time, the US has more than 750 military bases in around 80 countries. This includes more than 250 bases in the Asia-Pacific encircling China with 375,000 personnel in the Indo-Pacific Command, while China has no military presence in the Western Hemisphere. Who is preparing for war?
On International Order
The Pentagon reports that China may challenge the US in the international arena. It is true that China is taking the lead internationally in economic development, in technological innovation, and in fighting climate change. Other countries around the world are happy for its support in growing their capacities to be independent of US hegemony in their regions.
China builds relationships through economic cooperation and good diplomacy. In contrast, the US asserts its global dominance through direct or proxy wars, occupation, crippling sanctions, and regime-changing coups. The international order that the US seeks to maintain is rooted in violence and destruction. Let’s invest in Peace, Not War!
While the United States is desperately pursuing its outdated policy of enforcing global hegemony, the rest of the world is already moving towards a multilateral sphere, which ensures the greatest chance for peace. It’s important to realize that China is not our enemy. Escalating tension with China was already a mistake, but building a colossal military budget to double down on this mistake makes no sense.
When it comes to nuclear annihilation, China shows some restraint. China has a No-First-Use policy. China keeps its nuclear warheads in storage, not attached to its missiles.
The US has its nuclear weapons on hair-trigger and has abandoned caution — and good sense — by abandoning its No-First-Use policies are openly using these weapons, not as a deterence, but as a threat.
In response to the US move, Russia has recently announced it will abandon it’s No-First-Us policy and adopt Washington’s reckless resolve to use nuclear weapons as a threat.
I am ashamed of my country’s history of military and imperial campaigns. I live in increasing fear of US leadership, which (as the NDAA budget clearly shows) is tied to the biddings of the Military-Industrial Complex.
Towards peace,
Wei, Jodie, and the entire CODEPINK Team
* Read here: Pentagon’s Annual Report on China
