In an overwhelming statement, Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer stated, “Nucleararmed Pakistan is developing long-range ballistic missile capabilities that eventually could allow it to strike targets well beyond South Asia, making it an emerging threat to the United States.”

Pakistan’s Shaheen-III MRBM, with a range of 2750 km, is developed solely to target the Andaman and Nicobar Command.

The statement sent many shockwaves across Pakistan, which was once a frontline ally of the United States during the Global War on Terror and a designated Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA). This has intrigued many about how Pakistan can be an emerging threat to the United States, especially when it comes to its ballistic missile development.

Recently, Dr Ahmad Khan, PhD from the Department of Strategic Studies, National Defence University, Islamabad, and Dr Eligar Sadeh, President of Astroconsulting International, Colorado, United States, wrote a book. Springer Nature, Singapore, published the book Sabre Rattling in Space: A South Asian Perspective. In the book, the authors have made some interesting comments on Indian missile and space programs. India has developedn advanced Long-Range Ballistic Missiles and recently tested a MIRVed Agni-V.

The authors believe that India deliberately did not declare the MIRVed Agni-V range. However, the book says that its range is 8000km. Furthermore, the authors highlight that India is expanding the ranges of Agni-series ballistic missiles; e.g., Agni-VI has a 10000-12000 km range. India is also working on the Surya ICBM with a 12000 to 16000 km range.

However, Agni-VI and Surya ICBMs are in the development process. The authors argue that DRDO officials are denying the existence of the Surya program. The indirect U.S. pressure on India may be a source that restricts it from declaring its ICBM inventory ranges. India’s expansion of ballistic missile ranges will bring the Western Capitals into its targeting range.

“A worrisome development for Washington, Paris, and London.” The book also gives a sneak peek into the U.S.-India cooperation in space. Both countries have enjoyed close cooperation in space. The book’s authors asserted that India’s space program has indirectly assisted its ICBM program.

India’s expanding ICBM arsenal, including Agni-VI and Surya, potentially threatens Western capitals, creating global security concerns.

The book offers that India’s space program has assisted in developing its missile program with assistance from Germany, France, the former Soviet Union, and the United States. Numerous declassified documents cited in the book suggest India’s acquisition of missile components was derived from its space program.

The book continues to suggest many insights about India’s space and missile program and the historical assistance provided to India in its space journey. The book partially answers the question as suggested in the title of this piece. The book also indicates that the United States initially assisted Pakistan’s space program.

Pakistan became the third Asian country to send a sounding rocket into space with the help of NASA. The book highlights Pakistan’s overall relations after the U.S. forces’ withdrawal from Afghanistan remain unstable. Pakistan is not getting any assistance from the U.S. in the space domain as it received during the Cold War.

However, it is worth mentioning here that Pakistan’s missile program was never meant to target the U.S. homeland. Pakistan does not have such ranges that could potentially target the U.S. homeland. Interestingly, a South Asian country has been developing ICBMs that could land in Washington and its allies’ capitals.

It is indeed a worrisome development by a power-projection-hungry India. India has recently tested a hypersonic missile with 1500 km. Likewise; it also tested the K-4 SLBM with a 4000 km range. It has announced the development of a K-5 SLBM with a 6000 km range. K-4 SLBM was tested from recently inducted INS-Arighat. Likely, the addition of two more SSBNs in the Indian fleet will cover the entire globe with its SLMBs.

U.S.-India cooperation in space has indirectly supported India’s missile program, raising strategic dilemmas for Pakistan and China.

The book points to the United States’ conditions and actions to equip India to contain rising China militarily. Pakistan and China enjoy amity. At the same time, India-Pakistan and China-India locked horns in enmity. The U.S. is influencing this complex relationship, creating a security trilemma.

Pakistan’s relations with the U.S. suffered many ups and downs but never so low when an outgoing Deputy National Security Adviser of the incumbent Administration tried to lambast Pakistan with such foolish accusations that will stand incorrect when it comes to checking the actual ranges of Pakistan’s ballistic missiles.

Pakistan’s security pundits and policymakers firmly stated that Pakistan’s nuclear deterrence is India’s centric. Counting in the United States in Pakistan’s security and nuclear calculus has never been a point of discussion in the entire discourse on deterrence in Pakistan. However, what is more worrisome is India’s ICBM inventory, which has brought the Western Capitals under its target

range. Pakistan’s most extended-range MRBM is Shaheen-III, with 2750 km. It was developed to target the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) based in Port Blair. Beyond that, no Pakistani official has ever stated to acquire military targets with the existing delivery means.

Pakistan’s ballistic missile program has never targeted the U.S.; its nuclear deterrence is entirely India-centric.

It clarifies one thing Pakistan is sure about: minimizing the scope of its nuclear deterrence by thwarting Indian military actions to avoid chances of full-scale war, and that is it. Hopefully, the upcoming Trump Administration will not fall prey to the incorrect WMD assessments of its predecessor Administration.