American intelligence officials have reportedly concluded that Pakistan is developing an intercontinental ballistic missile with enough range to reach the continental United States.
The assertion appears in the latest issue of Foreign Affairs, buried in a comprehensive analysis of current global nuclear risks.
Though Pakistan asserts that its nuclear program is focused solely on deterring India, article authors Vipin Narang and Pranay Vaddi warn that Pakistan might also seek to deter the United States from intervening on New Delhi's behalf in any future India-Pakistan conflict or attempting to eliminate its arsenal in a preventive attack.
Narang and Vaddi are both nuclear security experts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who have recently held U.S. defense agency positions.
"If Pakistan acquires an ICBM, Washington will have no choice but to treat the country as a nuclear adversary — no other country with ICBMs that can target the United States is considered a friend," the report said.
If confirmed, the development would represent a new addition to the map of nuclear adversaries and would mark the first time that a country other than Russia, China, or North Korea could directly threaten the U.S. mainland with such missiles.
With deterrence doctrines crumbling and arms control on the brink of collapse, the revelation also adds to what the authors call a "Category 5 hurricane" of global nuclear threats that is rewriting the rules of engagement regarding nuclear weapons.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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