WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD: US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told a Senate hearing that major powers, including Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, and Pakistan, are advancing missile delivery systems capable of carrying nuclear and conventional payloads, warning that such developments increasingly put the US homeland within range.
Gabbard said the intelligence community (IC) assesses that threats to the United States could expand significantly, with the number of missiles capable of reaching the homeland projected to exceed 16,000 by 2035—up from more than 3,000 currently.
She noted that China and Russia are developing advanced delivery systems designed to evade or bypass US missile defenses, while North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) are already capable of reaching US territory and its nuclear arsenal is expected to grow.
JUST IN: 🇺🇸Tulsi Gabbard says:
“Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, and Pakistan have been developing an array of delivery systems with nuclear and conventional payloads that put our homeland within range,” pic.twitter.com/jHkV9vilx7
— Donald J Trump Posts TruthSocial (@TruthTrumpPost) March 18, 2026
The IC further assessed that Pakistan’s long-range ballistic missile development could potentially include ICBMs capable of striking the US homeland, while Iran has demonstrated technologies that could enable it to develop a viable ICBM capability before 2035, if it chooses to do so.
Gabbard added that these assessments may evolve as the impact of recent US strikes—referred to as “Operation Epic Fury”—on Iran’s missile infrastructure becomes clearer.
Meanwhile, Pakistani strategic experts strongly pushed back against the assessment, calling it technically flawed and strategically misplaced.
Islamabad-based strategic affairs expert Syed Muhammad Ali described the remarks as “divorced from technical realities” and based on a misunderstanding of Pakistan’s nuclear doctrine and missile program.
He emphasized that Pakistan’s deterrence posture remains strictly India-centric, shaped by regional security dynamics in South Asia rather than any global strategic ambition.
“Pakistan’s missile ranges and force posture are designed to deter India, not to project power beyond the region,” he said, adding that even its longest-range systems are intended to maintain credible minimum deterrence, deny India strategic depth, and ensure survivability of its strategic forces.
Ali stressed that Pakistan’s nuclear doctrine is rooted in “credible minimum deterrence,” aimed at preserving strategic stability in South Asia.
He also urged Washington to consider India’s expanding capabilities, including its ICBM tests, growing fleet of nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines, and what he described as an increasingly global nuclear posture.
According to Ali, India’s strategic buildup exceeds requirements for deterrence against China or Pakistan and could eventually pose broader international concerns.
He maintained that Pakistan, in contrast, has demonstrated restraint, robust command and control systems, and a strong record on nuclear safety and non-proliferation—attributes that have been acknowledged by successive US administrations.
