Indo-Pacific Missile Arsenals: Avoiding Spirals and Mitigating Escalation Risks

As countries in the Indo-Pacific region expand their missile inventories, security dilemmas related to North Korea and the Taiwan Strait grow more complex and the risks of nuclear escalation increase. The United States and its Asian allies must recognize these risks and act quickly to mitigate them.The Indo-Pacific region is on the cusp of a new missile age: inventories of short- to intermediate-range surface-to-surface missile systems are quickly growing in the region. Military planners and policymakers may view these capabilities as essential to preserving peace and maintaining deterrence, but this proliferation could intensify already complex security dilemmas, particularly related to North Korea and the Taiwan Strait, and heighten nuclear escalation risks. A new Carnegie report identifies the motivators of missile proliferation dynamics in Asia and offers recommendations for addressing the most salient risks.