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Pakistan's Nuclear Weapons: Proliferation and Security Issues
Background
Chronic political instability in Pakistan and the current offensive against the Taliban in the
northwest of the country have called attention to the issue of the security of the country's nuclear
weapons. Some observers fear that Pakistan's strategic nuclear assets could be obtained by
terrorists, or used by elements in the Pakistani government. Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Admiral Michael Mullen described U.S. concern about the matter during a September 22, 2008
speech:
To the best of my ability to understand it-and that is with some ability-the weapons there
are secure. And that even in the change of government, the controls of those weapons haven't
changed. That said, they are their weapons. They're not my weapons. And there are limits to
what I know. Certainly at a worst-case scenario with respect to Pakistan, I worry a great deal
about those weapons falling into the hands of terrorists and either being proliferated or
potentially used. And so, control of those, stability, stable control of those weapons is a key
concern. And I think certainly the Pakistani leadership that I've spoken with on both the
military and civilian side understand that.
U.S. officials continue to be concerned about the existential threat posed by nuclear weapons in a
destabilized Pakistan. General David H. Petraeus, Commander, U.S. Central Command, testified
March 31, 2009, that "Pakistani state failure would provide transnational terrorist groups and
other extremist organizations an opportunity to acquire nuclear weapons and a safe haven from
which to plan and launch attacks."
President Obama addressed this issue in an April 29, 2009, press conference, stating, "I'm
confident that we can make sure that Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is secure, primarily, initially,
because the Pakistani army, I think, recognizes the hazards of those weapons falling into the
wrong hands. We've got strong military-to-military consultation and cooperation." He also
recognized the sensitivity of the issue for Pakistan, saying, "We want to respect their sovereignty,
but we also recognize that we have huge strategic interests, huge national security interests in
making sure that Pakistan is stable and that you don't end up having a nuclear-armed militant
state."' Declining to engage in "hypotheticals" when asked if the United States is ready to secure
the nuclear arsenal if the Pakistani government could not do so, President Obama said he felt
"confident that that nuclear arsenal will remain out of militant hands."
General Petraeus reaffirmed this confidence on May 10: "With respect to the-the nuclear
weapons and-and sites that are controlled by Pakistan ... we have confidence in their security
procedures and elements and believe that the security of those sites is adequate."2 Admiral Mullen
echoed this assessment during a May 14, 2009, hearing before the Senate Armed Services
Committee, but added that "we're limited in what we actually know" about Islamabad's nuclear
arsenal." Leon Panetta, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, similarly acknowledged in a
May 18 speech that the United States does not possess the intelligence to know the locations of
all of Pakistan's nuclear weapons-related sites.
1 President Obama's 100-Day Press Briefing transcript, April 29, 2009, accessed at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/
29/us/politics/29text-obama.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print.
2 Interview with General David H. Petraeus, FOX News Sunday, May 10, 2009. http://www.foxnews.com/story/
0,2933,519696,OO.html.Congressional Research Service
1
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Kerr, Paul K. & Nikitin, Mary Beth. Pakistan’s Nuclear Weapons: Proliferation and Security Issues, report, June 12, 2009; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc821771/m1/4/: accessed March 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.