The United States intelligence community on Wednesday disclosed that five countries are developing long-range ballistic missiles with the potential to reach the homeland.
Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence, said although the U.S. nuclear deterrent ensures its safety against strategic threats, state actors are seeking new capabilities in kinetic and cyber warfare.
At a Senate Intelligence hearing on global threats, Gabbard said Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, and Pakistan are evolving missile systems “with nuclear and conventional payloads that put our homeland within range.”
The threats to America will exceed 16,000 missiles by 2035, from the current assessed figure of more than 3,000 missiles, the director informed Senators.
Intelligence revealed China and Russia “present the most persistent and active threats,” and are working on advanced delivery systems capable of bypassing or penetrating U.S. missile defences.
Regarding North Korea, Gabbard said its intercontinental ballistic missile can reach American soil, even as Pyongyang remains committed to expanding its nuclear arsenal.
She described North Korea’s cyber program as “sophisticated and agile,” noting that its $2 billion “cryptocurrency heist” in 2025 is helping to fund the regime’s further development of its weapons programs.
The intelligence community also found that Pakistan’s long-range ballistic missile development potentially could include ICBMs with a range capable of striking the homeland.
On Iran, Gabbard said it previously demonstrated space launch and other technology it could use to develop a militarily viable ICBM before 2035, should Tehran attempt to pursue that capability.
The top official said the Islamic Republic’s regime appears to be intact but degraded, adding that its conventional military power projection capabilities have largely been destroyed.
Gabbard told the lawmakers that if a hostile regime in Iran survives, it will likely seek to begin a years-long effort to rebuild its military, missiles, and UAV forces.
The IC, however, believes Russia has maintained the upper hand in Ukraine. Gabbard said until an agreement is reached, “Moscow is likely to continue fighting a slow war of attrition.”
CIA Director John Ratcliffe and FBI Director Kash Patel were present at the briefing, which took place one day after Joe Kent resigned from his position as Director of the National Counter terrorism Center.
News reports say the ex-NCTC chief is under FBI investigation for allegedly “leaking classified information.” Kent quit over the Iran war, saying the nation posed “no imminent threat” to the U.S.
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