Pratik V

U.S. intelligence agencies have long acknowledged that U.S.-supplied F-16 fighter jets form part of Pakistan’s strategic nuclear arsenal. Pakistan is believed to have adapted some of its F-16s to carry miniaturized nuclear warheads. Yet at a time when the Trump administration is waging war on Iran supposedly to prevent it from acquiring a nuclear bomb, Washington is simultaneously modernizing and upgrading Pakistan’s F-16 fleet, which is primarily directed at India. Under a $686-million upgrade package for Pakistan’s F-16 fleet, the U.S. is modernizing the jets’ avionics, operational flight program software, electronic-warfare systems and cryptographic hardware, while installing tactical data-link systems to enable real-time, jam-resistant communications across air and ground assets and enhance network-centric capabilities. The upgrades would extend the jets’ operational life through 2040. The contradiction is hard to miss: Washington is waging war over Iran’s hypothetical nuclear bomb while effectively giving Pakistan a free pass as it expands and modernizes its nuclear arsenal. For more than 22 years, Pakistan has retained its designation as America’s Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA).