U.S. intelligence agencies have reportedly determined that Pakistan is in the process of building an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of striking the mainland United States.
This revelation is included in the latest edition of Foreign Affairs, nestled within an in-depth piece that examines today’s most pressing nuclear threats worldwide.
Although Islamabad maintains that its nuclear capabilities are aimed exclusively at deterring its longtime rival India, analysts Vipin Narang and Pranay Vaddi argue in the article that Pakistan may also be attempting to dissuade the United States from stepping in on India’s side in any potential future war—or from launching a preemptive operation to dismantle Pakistan’s nuclear stockpile.
Narang and Vaddi, who are recognized authorities on nuclear policy and currently affiliated with MIT, have both served in recent years in official U.S. defense-related roles.
“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.
Should these findings be verified, it would signal a major shift in the global strategic landscape, marking Pakistan as the first nation beyond Russia, China, and North Korea to possess missiles capable of reaching American soil.
In light of collapsing arms control agreements and the erosion of traditional deterrence norms, the article underscores that this potential development adds to what the authors describe as a “Category 5 hurricane” of nuclear instability that is rapidly reshaping the global nuclear order.
{Matzav.com}