Tulsi Gabbard warns Russia, China, N Korea, Iran, Pakistan developing nuclear‑capable missiles that could reach US
DNA
WASHINGTON: US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has identified Pakistan among countries posing a growing strategic concern, warning that Islamabad’s evolving long-range missile capabilities could potentially bring the American homeland within range.
Presenting the 2026 Annual Threat Assessment before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Gabbard also named Iran, China, Russia, and North Korea as nations actively developing new missile delivery systems, including both nuclear and conventional warheads, which put the US within range.
“The US secure nuclear deterrent continues to ensure safety in the homeland against strategic threats. However, Russia, China, North Korea, Iran and Pakistan have been researching and developing an array of novel, advanced, or traditional missile delivery systems with nuclear and conventional payloads that put our homeland within range,” Gabbard said.
She noted that Pakistan’s ballistic missile development “potentially could include intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs)” capable of reaching the US homeland.
Gabbard also warned that the number of missile threats facing the US was expected to rise sharply, with the intelligence community projecting that global missile inventories could exceed 16,000 by 2035, up from more than 3,000 currently.
She added that the countries identified in the report would likely seek to understand US missile defence plans in order to shape their own development programmes and assess Washington’s deterrence posture.
Reacting to the remarks, former Pakistani ambassador to the US Jalil Abbas Jilani rejected the claim that Pakistan posed a direct missile threat to the American homeland.
