Pyongyang is already capable of producing enough material for up to 20 nuclear weapons per year, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said in late January.
At that pace, North Korea could rival France’s nuclear capabilities in the coming years, according to the report. Within a decade, its arsenal could surpass those of Israel, Pakistan, and the United Kingdom.
North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missiles — including the Hwasong-15, -17, -18, and -19 — already provide sufficient firepower to challenge U.S. midcourse missile defense systems, the report said.
Estimates of North Korea’s ICBM inventory vary. The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency said in a 2025 presentation supporting the Golden Dome missile defense project that Pyongyang possesses about 10 such missiles.
North Korea has conducted test launches of roughly that number of missiles over the past decade and may have up to 48 launchers, suggesting its ICBM arsenal could reach around 20 or more, the report said.
The U.S. Ground-based Midcourse Defense system includes 44 interceptor missiles deployed in Alaska and California, with capacity for 20 additional interceptors in Alaska.
The system was designed to counter a significantly smaller threat, Bloomberg noted. Intercepting a single target typically requires two interceptor missiles, meaning a large-scale attack involving dozens of ICBMs could exceed the system’s capabilities.