Missile Proliferation in Asia

One of the principal security concerns to emerge in the post-Cold War period has been the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD): nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons and the means to deliver them, which include ballistic and cruise missiles. The U.S. Department of Defense estimates that “more than 25 countries” worldwide currently possess or may be developing WMD, and more than fifteen countries have ballistic missiles, a number that could reach twenty by 2000. ¹ Meanwhile, some seventy-three countries worldwide possess cruise missiles, most of which are of the short-range, conventionally armed, antiship variety. Of these, nineteen countries—including five in Asia—have indigenous cruise missile production capabilities and are working to obtain a range of different types of systems. ²