I have been reading with great concern about the recent surge in Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal. While Russia, the United States, Great Britain, and France are all expected to reduce their nuclear arsenals over the coming decade (the U.S. by some 20 percent), Pakistan — along with India and North Korea — is expected to increase its stockpile significantly.

This is of course a problem for our nation for a variety of reasons. As the recent protracted Taliban attack on a Pakistani naval base in Karachi showed, there are valid concerns about the ability of that country’s military to fend off the enemy.

In addition, it is widely believed that there are Taliban — and perhaps even al-Qaeda — sympathizers within the Pakistani government, military, and intelligence services. It is believed that Pakistan currently possesses about 100 active nuclear weapons, and the ability of Pakistan to protect them is in question.

I personally believe the possibility is quite high that one or more of these weapons could end up in the hands of al-Qaeda or the Taliban, and that these organizations would certainly attempt to use them against us or our allies in an event that could potentially dwarf the tragedy of 9/11. This is of course an outcome that we cannot accept, and it is one that I hope we are doing everything in our power diplomatically, militarily, and clandestinely to avoid.

– Bob