On January 24th, Pakistan conducted the first test of its nuclear-capable surface-to-surface “Ababeel” medium-range ballistic missile. The Ababeel has a reported range of 2,200 km and is Pakistan’s first ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple warheads using Multiple Independent Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) technology. The Pakistani military declared the test a success and claimed that the missile was developed to ensure the “survivability of Pakistan’s ballistic missiles in the growing regional Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) environment,” and to “further reinforce deterrence.”