A senior White House official on Thursday claimed Pakistan is developing long-range ballistic missile capabilities that can eventually allow it to strike targets outside of South Asia, including the United States.
Speaking to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer described Pakistan as an “emerging threat” to the U.S. in light of its missiles program. He said Pakistan has pursued “increasingly sophisticated missile technology, from long-range ballistic missile systems to equipment that would enable the testing of significantly larger rocket motors.”
If these trends continue, he said, the country would “have the capability to strike targets well beyond South Asia, including in the United States.” He explained that the number of nuclear-armed states with missiles that can reach the U.S. homeland “is very small and they tend to be adversarial,” specifically naming Russia, North Korea and China—while leaving out India. “So, candidly, it’s hard for us to see Pakistan’s actions as anything other than an emerging threat to the United States,” he added.
Finer maintained he was among senior U.S. officials who had repeatedly raised concerns about the missile program with top Pakistani officials. He noted the two countries had been “long-time partners” on development, counter-terrorism and security. “That makes us question even more why Pakistan will be motivated to develop a capability that could be used against us,” he added.
The Reuters news agency, quoting two senior administration officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, reported that the U.S. concerns with Pakistan’s missile program were long-standing. They primarily stem from the sizes of the rocket engines being developed, it said. One of the officials, it said, had stressed that any potential threat to the U.S. was up to a decade away.
Finer’s comments, per the officials’ remarks to Reuters, were aimed at pressing Pakistani officials to address why they are developing more powerful rocket engines. One of the officials said Pakistan refused to acknowledge U.S. concerns by citing bias. He also claimed that Pakistani officials had “wrongly implied” that U.S. sanctions on their missile program were aimed at handicapping their ability to defend against India.
Imposing Sanctions
The deputy national security adviser’s comments followed the U.S. State Department, a day earlier, imposing sanctions on four entities linked to Pakistan’s ballistic missile program. In a statement, the State Department said the decision was “in light of the continuing proliferation threat of Pakistan’s long-range missile development.”
Terming the decision as “biased,” Pakistan’s Foreign Office stressed the U.S. decision had “dangerous implications for strategic stability of our region and beyond.” It maintained Pakistan’s strategic capabilities aimed to defend its sovereignty and preserve peace and stability in South Asia. “The latest installment of sanctions defies the objective of peace and security by aiming to accentuate military asymmetries. Such policies have dangerous implications for strategic stability of our region and beyond,” it added.
The U.S. had similarly imposed sanctions on five entities and one individual in September. A year earlier, in October 2023, the U.S. imposed sanctions on three Chinese companies for supplying missile-applicable items to Pakistan.
Longstanding Policy
Addressing a weekly press briefing on Thursday, State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said the U.S. had been “clear and consistent” on its concerns about Pakistan’s long-range, ballistic missile program. “It is longstanding U.S. policy to deny support to Pakistan’s long-range ballistic missile program. The Department of State will continue to use sanctions and other tools to protect our national security and ensure that U.S. exporters and U.S. financial systems cannot be abused by proliferators,” he added.
The spokesperson said that the U.S. hoped to continue to engage constructively with the Pakistani government on these issues. To a question, Patel said the U.S. had concerns about Pakistan’s long-range ballistic missile program, but these do not have a significant impact on other bilateral areas of cooperation.