Catalyst for a new nuclear arms race in South Asia

India became the seventh nation after the US, UK, France, Russia, Pakistan, and China launched MIRV-armed ballistic missiles when it announced the first flight of an Agni-5 Submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) on March 11. With the ability to carry a nuclear warhead on each independent re-entry, ballistic missiles with MIRVs have a substantially increased potential for destruction. The spread of MIRV capability is a worrying trend in global nuclear arsenals that is already indicating the beginning of a nuclear arms race with…