The likelihood that the United States will know when a nation obtains nuclear weapon capability is very low, according to a new report* from the Pentagon.The report says that given the new pathways to proliferation, the United States is severely limited in its intelligence capability to determine whether a nation like Iran has obtained a nuclear bomb.
Bret Stephens, foreign affairs columnist for the Wall Street Journal, pointed out that the report directly contradicts what Vice President Joe Biden claimed in his debate with candidate Paul Ryan in 2012. Stephens noted the lack of warning the U.S. had when both Pakistan and India obtained their respective nuclear weapons in previous decades.
*Wall Street article, behind paywall.