This has been revealed in the latest ‘worldwide threat assessment’ report of the US Defense Intelligence Agency released today.
The report, which takes into account all global developments till May 11, says Pakistan considers India as an “existential threat” and will continue development of battlefield nuclear weapons to offset New Delhi’s conventional military advantage. Pakistan’s weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programmes are likely acquired primarily from suppliers in China, and sometimes transshipped through Hong Kong, Singapore, Turkey and the UAE, it highlights.
On the India-China relations, the US report says, “Prime Minister Narenda Modi’s priorities will probably focus on demonstrating global leadership, countering China, and enhancing New Delhi’s military power… India views China as its primary adversary and Pakistan more an ancillary security problem.”
It goes on to warn that “ongoing tensions along India and China’s Line of Actual Control (LAC) border demarcation are capable of escalating quickly”. In late October 2024, India and China reached an agreement to move forces away from the two remaining contested positions along the disputed LAC in eastern Ladakh.
On the Pakistan-China nexus, the US report says: “Pakistan primarily is a recipient of China’s economic and military largesse…terrorist activity in Afghanistan and Pakistan will challenge military and security forces.
China continues to pour resources into securing its supply chain and developing domestic high-end microelectronics manufacturing capabilities. Also Beijing and Russia are aggressively pursuing new systems, such as hypersonic glide vehicles.
China’s nuclear warhead stockpile probably has surpassed 600 operational nuclear warheads. “We estimate that China will have more than 1,000 operational nuclear warheads by 2030 — much of which will be deployed at higher readiness levels for faster response time,” the report says.
China also has developed a variety of electronic warfare systems dedicated to denying an adversary’s satellite communications and global positioning system (GPS) capabilities during conflict.
