Tulsi Warns Pak’s Missile Push Could Threaten US Homeland

WASHINGTON, DC -Pakistan’s advancing long-range ballistic missile program could evolve into a threat to the U.S. homeland, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard warned, highlighting it as part of a broader and expanding global missile threat landscape.

Presenting the 2026 Annual Threat Assessment to U.S. lawmakers, Gabbard said Pakistan’s missile effort “potentially could include ICBMs with a range capable of striking the homeland.” She noted that Pakistan is among countries “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 made the remarks during briefings to both the House Intelligence Committee and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, where she outlined growing concerns over global missile proliferation and strategic risks.

“The IC assesses that threats to the homeland will expand collectively to more than 16,000 missiles by 2035 from the current assessed figure of more than 3,000 missiles,” she told lawmakers.

She said countries including Russia, China, North Korea, Iran and Pakistan are advancing missile capabilities. “The IC assesses that China and Russia are developing advanced delivery systems meant to be capable of penetrating or bypassing US missile defenses. North Korea’s ICBMs can already reach US soil, and it is committed to expanding its nuclear arsenal,” she said.

Gabbard added that Pakistan’s long-range missile development could, over time, move towards intercontinental capabilities. However, she did not specify a timeline for such progress.

The assessment also noted that Pakistan continues to develop increasingly sophisticated missile technology, potentially enabling it to strike targets beyond South Asia if current trends persist.

Gabbard said the United States continues to rely on its nuclear deterrent, which “continues to ensure safety in the homeland against strategic threats.” She also warned that emerging technologies, including hypersonic weapons and artificial intelligence, are complicating the threat environment by improving targeting and accelerating decision-making.

The report described a rapidly evolving global risk landscape, where multiple countries are simultaneously expanding military capabilities, making deterrence more complex.

It also highlighted South Asia as an area of enduring concern, noting that India–Pakistan relations remain a potential flashpoint for nuclear escalation.

“The terrorist attack last year near Pahalgam, in the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, demonstrated the dangers of terrorist attacks sparking conflict. President Trump’s intervention deescalated the most recent nuclear tensions, and we assess that neither country seeks to return to open conflict, but that conditions exist for terrorist actors to continue to create catalysts for crises,” the report said.

The assessment further pointed to tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban, including intermittent cross-border clashes and rising militant activity.

“Pakistan’s army chief warned this month that lasting peace requires the Taliban to sever ties with militants targeting Pakistan. The Taliban’s public posture has been to call for dialogue, but it has denied harboring anti-Pakistani militants,” the report said. (IANS)