China Ramping Up Nuclear-Powered Submarine Production: US Naval Intelligence

By 2040, the Chinese communist regime’s naval power ’may credibly challenge U.S. regional maritime dominance,' Rear Adm. Mike Brookes said.

The JL-1 first generation nuclear submarine-launched ballistic missile during a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on Sept. 3, 2025. Pedro Pardo/AFP

China has “dramatically increased” domestic submarine production and is undergoing a shift “to all-nuclear construction,” according to testimony prepared by Rear Adm. Mike Brookes, commander of the Office of Naval Intelligence, for a congressional panel on March 2.

The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission is hosting hearings on March 2 about China’s growing maritime capabilities, which the commission’s chair, Randall Schriver, stated were testing the global order both on the seas and beneath it.