Paper Title
Nuclear Proliferation in Asia: Changing Patterns and Increasing Challenges

Abstract
Abstract - This paper presents the quantitative nuclear proliferation accompanied by qualitative proliferation due to development and modernization of missile system, tactical weapons and nuclear triad in Asia in the last five years. Qualitative proliferation, even without quantitative increase, makes nuclear warheads more accurate, lethal and catastrophic. Rivalry with USA and it’s ambition to replace USA as super power, forces China, a NPT signatory member, to enhance its nuclear weapon capability. But the security trilemma in Asia furthers the nuclear arms and capability race in the region. North Korea has not only conceived of nuclear weapons as only credible weapon, but it has also increased its nuclear arsenal by defying the global sanctions. Global attention towards Russia-Ukraine war has provided a free space to North Korea for reinstating the stalled nuclear capable ballistic missile program. Ukraine-Russia rivalry has established a precedent about the necessity of nuclear weapons for credible minimum deterrence. Relentlessly increasing nuclear capability of China and North Korea has been threatening national security of South Korea and Japan. Thus Asian nuclear armed states are continuously enhancing their nuclear attack capability by threatening the global effort of denuclearization. Keyword - Qualitative Nuclear Proliferation, Security trilemma, Second strike capability, Capability Race, Nuclear deterrence, Nuclear Silos.