Former CIA Officer Reveals US Knowledge of Pakistan's Nuclear Capability on F-16 Jets Despite Official Denials

Nov 08, 2025 11:28 am CST

Richard Barlow, a former CIA counterproliferation officer, discloses that US administrations knowingly certified Pakistan as non-nuclear through 1989 despite intelligence confirming Pakistani capabilities to mount nuclear weapons on American-supplied F-16 jets. This revelation highlights the complex geopolitical compromises made during the Cold War when Pakistan served as a crucial US ally against Soviet influence in Afghanistan, potentially risking nuclear escalation between India and Pakistan.