Gabbard says Pakistan missiles a future threat to US, but experts push back

(Al Jazeera Media Network) The United States’ top intelligence official has placed Pakistan alongside Russia, China, North Korea and Iran as a country whose advancing missile capabilities could eventually put US territory within reach.

Presenting the 2026 Annual Threat Assessment before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said the five countries were “researching and developing an array of novel, advanced or traditional missile delivery systems with nuclear and conventional payloads, that put our homeland within range.”

On Pakistan specifically, Gabbard told lawmakers that “Pakistan’s long-range ballistic missile development potentially could include ICBMs with the range capable of striking the homeland.”

The written assessment went further, placing Pakistan across multiple threat categories.

On missiles, it said Pakistan “continues to develop increasingly sophisticated missile technology that provides its military the means to develop missile systems with the capability to strike targets beyond South Asia, and if these trends continue, Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) that would threaten the US.”

On weapons of mass destruction, it assessed that Pakistan, alongside China, North Korea and Russia, would “probably continue to research, develop, and field delivery systems that will increase their ranges and accuracy, challenge US missile defenses, and provide new WMD-use options”.

The report also flagged South Asia as a region of “enduring security challenges”, warning that India-Pakistan relations “remain a risk for nuclear conflict”.

It referenced last year’s Pahalgam attack in Indian-administered Kashmir as an example of how violence by armed groups can trigger crises, while noting that “President Trump’s intervention de-escalated the most recent nuclear tensions” and that “neither country seeks to return to open conflict.”

The assessment projected that threats to the US homeland could expand from more than 3,000 missiles today to at least 16,000 by 2035.

On Thursday, Tahir Andrabi, spokesman for Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said: “Pakistan categorically rejects the recent assertion by a United States official alleging a potential threat from Pakistan’s missile capabilities.”

Pakistan’s strategic capabilities are “exclusively defensive” in nature, he said, and are “aimed at safeguarding national sovereignty and maintaining peace and stability in South Asia.”

“Pakistan’s missile program, which remains well below intercontinental range, is firmly rooted in the doctrine of credible minimum deterrence vis-a-vis India. In contrast, India’s development of missile capabilities exceeding 12,000 kilometres reflects a trajectory that extends beyond regional security considerations and is certainly a cause of concern for the neighbourhood and beyond.”

Pakistan, he said, remains “committed to constructive engagement with the United States, anchored in mutual respect, non-discrimination, and factual accuracy. We urge a more measured and considered approach that aligns with South Asia’s strategic imperatives and advances peace, security and stability across the region.”

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/19/gabbard-says-pakistan-missiles-a-future-threat-to-us-but-experts-push-back