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The senate will now enact the measure and get it to President Joe Biden's desk before the 4th June deadline when the government is expected to run out of money to pay its bills

U.S debt ceiling crisis: House passes bill to suspend $31.4 trillion debt

The senate will now enact the measure and get it to President Joe Biden's desk before the 4th June deadline when the government is expected to run out of money to pay its bills

The U.S house of representatives has approved a bill to suspend the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling on Wednesday to avoid a catastrophic default. 314 voted in favour and 117 against. The legislation is now sent to the senate.&nbsp;
The senate will now enact the measure and get it to President Joe Biden's desk before the 4th June deadline. The Federal government is expected to run out of money to pay its bills on June 4.&nbsp;
Apart from the suspension of the debt ceiling, the agreement also caps spending in the 2024 and 2025 budgets, claw back unused Covid funds, speed up the permitting process for some energy projects and include extra work requirements for food aid programs for poor Americans.
The bill would also authorise more than $886 billion for security spending in Fy24 and non-security funding gets over $ 703 billion. In 2025, a 1% increase in security spending is authorised.
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The Silicon Valley Bank collapsed within a period of two days. Here's the sequence of events that led to the largest banking collapse since 2008 

Silicon Valley Bank Collapse: The timeline & how it happened

The Silicon Valley Bank collapsed within a period of two days. Here's the sequence of events that led to the largest banking collapse since 2008&nbsp;

Its perhaps the biggest bank failure since the Global Financial Crisis of 2008. The Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) collapse has sent shockwaves across the globe and has far-reaching ramifications.
So, how did one of the biggest banking collapses in the history of the U.S actually happen?
Silicon Valley Bank amassed huge deposits in 2021. As per the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, SVB had over $175 billion in deposits as of December 31st 2022 and over $200 billion in total assets.
SVB invested heavily in bonds which were being issued when interest rates were very low due to the covid pandemic. As per reports, SVB&rsquo;s balance sheet for 2022-end showed $91.3 billion of securities.&nbsp; But, as the world emerged out of the pandemic, inflation reared its head, soaring to 8.2% in October 2022. This was the highest inflation that the U.S had seen in over 4 decades. In response, the Federal Reserve began raising interest rates. Fed Chairman, Jerome Powell, made it very clear, that interest rates had to go up, to clamp down on inflation.&nbsp;
As a result of rising interest rates, the value of SVB's bond holdings, which were issued at lower rates, began falling. At the same time, many startups, who were the bank&rsquo;s customers, began withdrawing deposits to survive, amid a funding crunch. As a result, SVB was forced to sell whatever bonds it could, at a loss. On Wednesday, 8th of March, SVB sold $21 billion worth of bond assets at a loss of $1.8 billion. The bank also announced that it was conducting a capital raise. Despite this announcement, there was a wave of withdrawals from the bank.&nbsp;
Meanwhile, on the 8th of March, crypto-focussed lender &ndash; Silvergate bank said it planned to wind down operations and liquidate because of heavy losses following the collapse of crypto exchange FTX. This caused another wave of fresh withdrawals on Thursday followed by the SVB stock in a downward spiral, crashing over 60%.&nbsp;
As per a regulatory filing, SVB had a negative cash balance of $958 million at the end of business on 9th of March. The filing also said that &ldquo;despite the bank being in sound financial condition prior to March 9th, investors and depositors reacted by withdrawing $42 billion of deposits, causing a run on the bank&rdquo;. This massive withdrawal, led to the bank becoming insolvent and unable to payoff its obligations.
On Friday, March 10th, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) announced that SVB &ldquo;was closed today by the California Department of Protection and Innovation, which appointed the FDIC as receiver&rdquo;. FDIC also said that all insured depositors would have full access to their deposits until Monday, March 13th. However, the insured deposits have a cap of $250,000. Anyone who has over $250,000 in their accounts are required to call a toll-free number. Going forward, FDIC will oversee the sale of the assets of SVB. The uninsured depositors will be paid dividends from the asset sale.&nbsp;

Moody's says that rated banks in APAC structurally have stable funding and ample liquidity and that they are mostly funded with customer deposits, while their market borrowings are modest 

U.S banking crisis to have limited impact on banks in India, Asia 

Moody's says that rated banks in APAC structurally have stable funding and ample liquidity and that they are mostly funded with customer deposits, while their market borrowings are modest&nbsp;

The impact of the Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank collapse in the U.S is likely to be limited as financial institutions in India as well as the Asia-Pacific, as per ratings agency Moody's. &nbsp;
"Most APAC institutions are not exposed to the failed US banks, and only a handful of institutions has immaterial exposures. Finally, most institutions are not as susceptible to large losses from debt security holdings as Silicon Valley Bank was," Moody's said.
The US-based rating agency said rated banks in APAC structurally have stable funding and ample liquidity and that they are mostly funded with customer deposits, while their market borrowings are modest at about 16% of their total assets on average.
Their business depositors are well diversified across different sectors, with no rated bank in the region being heavily exposed to technology companies. Also, APAC banks' deposits are generally not heavily concentrated on single clients.
The ratings agency also said Indian banks have faced strenuous challenges in the past decade, but their funding and liquidity have held up strongly and have been a key factor supporting their overall credit strength.
The Moody's report adds, "most institutions are not as susceptible to large losses from debt security holdings as Silicon Valley Bank was. The second order impact of the US bank failures is still developing and bear close watching."
On March 12, 2023, US regulators closed Signature Bank, just two days after shutting Silicon Valley Bank, following mass withdrawals of customer deposits.

To strengthen public confidence in the country’s banking system, the Biden administration announced that depositors of the failed Silicon Valley Bank will have access to their money from today

Silicon Valley Bank depositors will have access to their Money from Today

To strengthen public confidence in the country&rsquo;s banking system, the Biden administration announced that depositors of the failed Silicon Valley Bank will have access to their money from today

In a step aimed at protecting the US economy by strengthening public confidence in the country&rsquo;s banking system, the Biden administration has announced that depositors of the failed Silicon Valley Bank will have access to their money from Monday.
&ldquo;The depositors will have access to all their money starting Monday, that is, March 13. No losses associated with the resolution of the Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) will be borne by the taxpayer,&rdquo; said a joint statement by FDIC, Federal Reserve and Department of Treasury.&nbsp; According to the interagency federal statement, shareholders and certain unsecured debt holders, however, will not be protected.
After receiving recommendations from the boards of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Federal Reserve, and consulting with the president, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Sunday approved actions enabling the FDIC to complete its resolution of the Santa Clara, California-based Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) in a manner that fully protects all depositors, an official statement said.
California-based Silicon Valley Bank, the 16th largest bank in the United States, was closed on Friday by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation which later appointed the FDIC as its receiver.
SVB was deeply entrenched in the tech startup ecosystem and the default bank for many high-flying startups; its abrupt fall marked one of the largest bank failures since the 2008 global financial crisis.
According to the interagency federal statement, shareholders and certain unsecured debt holders, however, will not be protected

The collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank could have repercussions for Indian startups too. Several Indian startups have higher deposits in SVB, than what is insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

Silicon Valley Bank collapse: Impact on Indian startups 

The collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank could have repercussions for Indian startups too. Several Indian startups have higher deposits in SVB, than what is insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) has sent shockwaves across the globe. One of the biggest bank failures since the 2008 global financial crisis, the collapse of SVB has far-reaching ramifications. This includes a significant impact on the Indian startup ecosystem.&nbsp;
SVB has been one of the preferred bank of startups and venture capitalists globally. Several Indian startups have exposure to the bank. In fact a large number of Indian startups, especially in the SaaS sector that services U.S clients, have accounts and deposits at the bank. Reports say that Indian startups have over $250,000 parked at SVB, this is more than what is insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).&nbsp;
"All insured depositors will have full access to their insured deposits no later than Monday morning, March 13, 2023", said FDIC in a statement that also asked customers with accounts that had over $250,000 to contact a toll-free number.&nbsp;
The other fallout of the SVB bank collapse will also impact the fundraising ability of Indian startups as the bank was a key source of funding for tech startups. As per reports, SVB has invested in several Indian firms including InMobi, Carewale, and Bluestone among others. For these companies, their raised funds could get stuck and lead to a cash crunch.
Also watch: <a href="https://www.editorji.com/business-news/markets/silicon-valley-bank-shut-down-a-look-at-biggest-banking-failures-since-2008-1678526214050">Silicon Valley Bank collapse: a look at biggest banking failures since 2008</a> A combination of all these factors will further exacerbate the rough weather and a funding crunch that Indian startups were already facing. In fact, in the last few months, Indian startups have already been cutting costs and announcing layoffs, a situation that may only worsen going forward.&nbsp;&nbsp;
As of December 31, 2022, Silicon Valley Bank had approximately $209.0 billion in total assets and about $175.4 billion in total deposits.&nbsp;
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In an advisory issued to its citizens, the United States Embassy in New Delhi has noted that rape is&nbsp;one of the fastest growing&nbsp;crime&nbsp;in the country and asked women not to travel alone.&nbsp;&nbsp;The US embassy advisory said:&nbsp;&ldquo;Indian authorities report rape is one of the fastest-growing crimes in India and violent crime, such as sexual assault, has occurred at tourist sites and in other locations.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;This is not the first time that the US embassy has flagged women&rsquo;s safety. In March 2019, it had issued a similar advisory.&nbsp;&nbsp;The embassy advisory also refers to Jammu and Kashmir as a &ldquo;state&rdquo;, instead of Union Territory.&nbsp;In the latest advisory, it has also asked its citizens to exercise increased caution to India due to crime and terrorism.&nbsp;It also asked US citizens to not travel to the &ldquo;state of Jammu and Kashmir&rdquo; (except the eastern Ladakh region and its capital, Leh) due to terrorism and civil unrest.&nbsp;

U.S. embassy advisory to women citizens: avoid travelling alone  

U.S. embassy advisory to women citizens: avoid travelling alone to India

The US embassy advisory said:&nbsp;&ldquo;Indian authorities report rape is one of the fastest-growing crimes in India and violent crime, such as sexual assault, has occurred at tourist sites and in other locations.&rdquo;

In an advisory issued to its citizens, the United States Embassy in New Delhi has noted that rape is&nbsp;one of the fastest growing&nbsp;crime&nbsp;in the country and asked women not to travel alone.&nbsp; &nbsp; The US embassy advisory said:&nbsp;&ldquo;Indian authorities report rape is one of the fastest-growing crimes in India and violent crime, such as sexual assault, has occurred at tourist sites and in other locations.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This is not the first time that the US embassy has flagged women&rsquo;s safety. In March 2019, it had issued a similar advisory.&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Also Watch:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.editorji.com/world-news/covid-19-pandemic-after-20-month-ban-u-s-reopens-borders-to-vaccinated-travellers-1636354640259">Covid-19 pandemic: after 20-month ban, U.S. reopens borders to vaccinated travellers</a> The embassy advisory also refers to Jammu and Kashmir as a &ldquo;state&rdquo;, instead of Union Territory.&nbsp; In the latest advisory, it has also asked its citizens to exercise increased caution to India due to crime and terrorism.&nbsp; It also asked US citizens to not travel to the &ldquo;state of Jammu and Kashmir&rdquo; (except the eastern Ladakh region and its capital, Leh) due to terrorism and civil unrest.&nbsp;

British activist launches 'world's most northerly climate strike'

18-year-old British activist and Ornithologist&nbsp;Mya-Rose craig&nbsp;has launched the 'world's most northerly climate strike' on the Arctic Ocean.

Mya-Rose craig, an 18-year-old British activist and Ornithologist has taken part in a unique climate strike. She stood on a melting ice floe in the Arctic Ocean, 82 degrees north and held a placard that read 'Youth Strike for Climate', an act that is being dubbed as the 'world's most northerly climate strike'. Students, globally, have been striking on Fridays for two years now, as a part of a movement by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. The Fridays For Future movement has thousands of protests planned across the globe this week.

Mya-Rose craig, an 18-year-old British activist and Ornithologist has taken part in a unique climate strike.
She stood on a melting ice floe in the Arctic Ocean, 82 degrees north and held a placard that read 'Youth Strike for Climate', an act that is being dubbed as the 'world's most northerly climate strike'.
Students, globally, have been striking on Fridays for two years now, as a part of a movement by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. The Fridays For Future movement has thousands of protests planned across the globe this week.
A U.S. report stated that ice in the Arctic Ocean melted to its second lowest level on record this summer, fuelled by global warming. Known as Birdgirl online, her protest serves as a wake up call and seeks urgent action to protect what's left in the future.

Well deserved, hard earned: White House on Trump Nobel nomination

The nomination of Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for brokering the Israel-UAE deal is a "hard-earned and well-deserved honour," the White House has said

The White House has said the&nbsp;nomination of Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for brokering the landmark Israel-UAE deal is a "hard-earned and well-deserved honour,". Stating that the&nbsp;the US President has made peace a cornerstone of his foreign policy efforts, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said it was a historic deal and the first such deal in over two decades.&nbsp; Far-right Norwegian lawmaker Christian Tybring-Gjedde on Wednesday nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. Any lawmaker serving in a national legislature can nominate a person for the Nobel Peace Prize.
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PTI,&nbsp;Washington: The nomination of Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for brokering the landmark Israel-UAE deal is a "hard-earned and well-deserved honour," the White House has said, underlining that the US President has made peace a cornerstone of his foreign policy efforts.
Far-right Norwegian lawmaker Christian Tybring-Gjedde on Wednesday nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in mediating the deal between Israel and the UAE which is seen as a historic step towards peace in the Middle East.
Israel and the UAE announced on August 13 that they were establishing full diplomatic relations. The first commercial direct flight between Israel and the UAE landed in Abu Dhabi on August 31 after both countries announced normalisation of relations. The deal would be signed on September 15 at the White House.
The UAE is only the third Arab country to establish diplomatic ties with the Jewish state. Israel's neighbours, Egypt and Jordan, being the other two Arab states to recognise Israel.
"President Trump was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his work in brokering an Israel-United Arab Emirates peace deal. It was a historic deal and the first such deal in over two decades. This is a hard-earned and well-deserved honour for this President," White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said on Wednesday.
President Trump has made peace a cornerstone of his recent foreign policy efforts, she said.
Any lawmaker serving in a national legislature can nominate a person for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Tybring-Gjedde was one of two Norwegian lawmakers who nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018 for his efforts to bring reconciliation between North Korea and South Korea. The 2018 prize was won by Denis Mukwege from Congo and Nadia Murad from Iraq for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict.
In his nomination letter on Wednesday, Tybring-Gjedde, a member of the Norwegian Parliament for the far-right Progress Party, also cited Trump's &ldquo;key role in facilitating contact between conflicting parties and &hellip; creating new dynamics in other protracted conflicts, such as the Kashmir border dispute between India and Pakistan, and the conflict between North and South Korea, as well as dealing with the nuclear capabilities of North Korea,&rdquo; the Fox News reported.
Trump has repeatedly in the past offered to mediate between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue. However, India has maintained that the Kashmir issue is a bilateral one and no third party has any role.
McEnany said that the president's foreign policy will always be one of peace through strength, and that is what the American people are seeing abroad.
"Career politicians merely talk about the kind of results this president has achieved on the world stage," she said.
"These wins are possible because of the President's leadership and outsider perspective. President Trump addresses old challenges with new solutions and delivers results for the American people," she said.
Highlighting Trump's initiatives, McEnany said that the US has announced a drawdown of troops in Iraq from 5,200 to 3,000.
"We've secured better trade deals for the American worker. President Trump negotiated the USMCA (United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement), the U.S.-South Korea deal; ended the Trans-Pacific Partnership; brought back manufacturing jobs," she said. "President Trump has stood up to China: the phase one China deal; also tariffs to hold China accountable; and actions to block Huawei," she said.
President Trump has also defeated terrorists. The ISIS caliphate is destroyed. Al-Baghdadi is no longer on the battlefield, along with Iranian General Soleimani, she said.
He has also brokered economic normalisation between Serbia and Kosovo, a major breakthrough in this decades-old conflict, McEnany added.&nbsp;

China planning big increase in nuclear arsenal: US

PTI,&nbsp;Washington: China likely plans to double its stockpile of nuclear warheads in this decade, including those designed to be carried atop ballistic missiles that can reach the United States, the Pentagon said in a report released Tuesday.
Even with such increases, China's nuclear force would be far smaller than that of the United States, which has an estimated 3,800 warheads in active status and others in reserve. Unlike the U.S., China has no nuclear air force, but the report said that gap may be filled by developing a nuclear air-launched ballistic missile.
The Trump administration has been urging China to join the U.S. and Russia in negotiating a three-way deal to limit strategic nuclear arms, but China has declined. Chinese Foreign Ministry officials have said China's arsenal is too small to be included in negotiated limits and that by pressing China to join in such talks the Trump administration has created a pretext for walking away from the existing U.S.-Russia arms treaty known as New START.
That deal is due to expire in February but could be renewed for up to five years if Moscow and Washington agree.
In its annual &ldquo;China Military Power&rdquo; report to Congress, the Pentagon said the modernisation and expansion of China's nuclear forces is part of a broader effort by Beijing to develop a more assertive position on the world stage and to match or surpass America by 2049 as the dominant power in the Asia-Pacific region.
&ldquo;China's nuclear forces will significantly evolve over the next decade as it modernizes, diversifies, and increases the number of its land-, sea-, and air-based nuclear delivery platforms,&rdquo; the report said.
&ldquo;Over the next decade, China's nuclear warhead stockpile &mdash; currently estimated to be in the low 200s &mdash; is projected to at least double in size as China expands and modernises its nuclear forces.&rdquo; Within that force, the number of nuclear warheads on land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of threatening the United States &mdash; currently about 100, according to the report &mdash; &ldquo;is expected to grow to roughly 200 in the next five years,&rdquo; it said.
Tuesday's report to Congress is not the first time the Pentagon has predicted a doubling of China's nuclear stockpile. In a speech at the Hudson Institute in May 2019, the then-director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley, said, &ldquo;Over the next decade, China will likely at least double the size of its nuclear stockpile in the course of implementing the most rapid expansion and diversification of its nuclear arsenal in China's history.&rdquo; Those predictions fit neatly with arguments the Trump administration makes to justify spending hundreds of billions of dollars to modernize the U.S. nuclear arsenal.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper himself made this connection three days before the Pentagon's China report was released.
&ldquo;As Communist China moves to at least double the size of its nuclear stockpile, modernizing our nuclear force and maintaining readiness is essential to a free and open Indo-Pacific,&rdquo; he wrote on Twitter.
The Trump administration is pursuing a plan, begun during the Obama administration, to replace all major elements of the nuclear force &mdash; submarines, long-range bombers and land-based missiles &mdash; over the next 30 years at a cost projected to top USD 1 trillion, including the expected cost of sustaining and operating the force and of updating warheads as well as command and control systems. It's unclear whether the full plan would be pursued in the event Democrat Joe Biden wins in November.
Chad Sbragia, the deputy secretary of defense for China policy, said in an interview Monday with a small group of reporters that China's nuclear expansion plan may foreshadow even more ambitious plans.
&ldquo;An ability to double the stockpile not only demonstrates a move away from their historical minimum deterrence posture but places them in a position where they can readily grow their force beyond this number,&rdquo; Sbragia said.
The Pentagon report also raised the possibility that China may adopt a higher level of nuclear combat readiness. Currently, it keeps its nuclear warheads stored separately from its missiles and launchers and thus would need advance warning to get them ready for war.
The report said unspecified evidence emerged in 2019 indicating that China wants to keep at least a portion of its force on a higher state of alert known as &ldquo;launch on warning,&rdquo; meaning for example that its silo-based ICBMs would be armed in peacetime and ready for launch on short notice, which is the way the U.S. ICBM force operates.&nbsp;

The Pentagon said in a report released on&nbsp;Tuesday that China likely plans to double its stockpile of nuclear warheads in this decade, including those designed to be carried atop ballistic missiles that can reach the United States.&nbsp;Even with such increases, China's nuclear force would be far smaller than that of the United States, which has an estimated 3,800 warheads in active status and others in reserve. Unlike the U.S., China has no nuclear air force, but the report said that gap may be filled by developing a nuclear air-launched ballistic missile.

PTI,&nbsp;Washington: China likely plans to double its stockpile of nuclear warheads in this decade, including those designed to be carried atop ballistic missiles that can reach the United States, the Pentagon said in a report released Tuesday.
Even with such increases, China's nuclear force would be far smaller than that of the United States, which has an estimated 3,800 warheads in active status and others in reserve. Unlike the U.S., China has no nuclear air force, but the report said that gap may be filled by developing a nuclear air-launched ballistic missile.
The Trump administration has been urging China to join the U.S. and Russia in negotiating a three-way deal to limit strategic nuclear arms, but China has declined. Chinese Foreign Ministry officials have said China's arsenal is too small to be included in negotiated limits and that by pressing China to join in such talks the Trump administration has created a pretext for walking away from the existing U.S.-Russia arms treaty known as New START.
That deal is due to expire in February but could be renewed for up to five years if Moscow and Washington agree.
In its annual &ldquo;China Military Power&rdquo; report to Congress, the Pentagon said the modernisation and expansion of China's nuclear forces is part of a broader effort by Beijing to develop a more assertive position on the world stage and to match or surpass America by 2049 as the dominant power in the Asia-Pacific region.
&ldquo;China's nuclear forces will significantly evolve over the next decade as it modernizes, diversifies, and increases the number of its land-, sea-, and air-based nuclear delivery platforms,&rdquo; the report said.
&ldquo;Over the next decade, China's nuclear warhead stockpile &mdash; currently estimated to be in the low 200s &mdash; is projected to at least double in size as China expands and modernises its nuclear forces.&rdquo; Within that force, the number of nuclear warheads on land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of threatening the United States &mdash; currently about 100, according to the report &mdash; &ldquo;is expected to grow to roughly 200 in the next five years,&rdquo; it said.
Tuesday's report to Congress is not the first time the Pentagon has predicted a doubling of China's nuclear stockpile. In a speech at the Hudson Institute in May 2019, the then-director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley, said, &ldquo;Over the next decade, China will likely at least double the size of its nuclear stockpile in the course of implementing the most rapid expansion and diversification of its nuclear arsenal in China's history.&rdquo; Those predictions fit neatly with arguments the Trump administration makes to justify spending hundreds of billions of dollars to modernize the U.S. nuclear arsenal.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper himself made this connection three days before the Pentagon's China report was released.
&ldquo;As Communist China moves to at least double the size of its nuclear stockpile, modernizing our nuclear force and maintaining readiness is essential to a free and open Indo-Pacific,&rdquo; he wrote on Twitter.
The Trump administration is pursuing a plan, begun during the Obama administration, to replace all major elements of the nuclear force &mdash; submarines, long-range bombers and land-based missiles &mdash; over the next 30 years at a cost projected to top USD 1 trillion, including the expected cost of sustaining and operating the force and of updating warheads as well as command and control systems. It's unclear whether the full plan would be pursued in the event Democrat Joe Biden wins in November.
Chad Sbragia, the deputy secretary of defense for China policy, said in an interview Monday with a small group of reporters that China's nuclear expansion plan may foreshadow even more ambitious plans.
&ldquo;An ability to double the stockpile not only demonstrates a move away from their historical minimum deterrence posture but places them in a position where they can readily grow their force beyond this number,&rdquo; Sbragia said.
The Pentagon report also raised the possibility that China may adopt a higher level of nuclear combat readiness. Currently, it keeps its nuclear warheads stored separately from its missiles and launchers and thus would need advance warning to get them ready for war.
The report said unspecified evidence emerged in 2019 indicating that China wants to keep at least a portion of its force on a higher state of alert known as &ldquo;launch on warning,&rdquo; meaning for example that its silo-based ICBMs would be armed in peacetime and ready for launch on short notice, which is the way the U.S. ICBM force operates.&nbsp;

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