Topic: 2026 – Proliferation of Ballistic Missiles
Country: Saudi Arabia
Delegate Name: Rayyan Abu Azine
Submitted to the Disarmament and International Security Committee
From: Saudi Arabia
Delegate Name: Rayyan Abu Azrine
Subject: Proliferation of Ballistic Missiles
Since World War II and the creation of the German V-2 missile, ballistic missiles have played a key role in military dominance and balancing firepower between nations. With the introduction of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs), war changed forever. The Cold War had ramped up the rapid development of Ballistic Missiles, primarily due to the competition between the Soviet Union and the United States, and was the closest the world has ever been to seeing an all-out nuclear war. Possession of ICBMs has been argued to provide a last line of self-defense to many countries, but has also created dangerous tensions and conflicts. Events such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, and later leading to a land invasion or false claims of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) hidden in Iraq to justify an invasion in the Middle East, are just a few examples that set the influence ballistic missiles have on a country. Continuous development of ballistic missiles allowed these weapons to become even more deadly, with devastating consequences if any of these were to be released. Since then, many efforts have been made to deter usage of ICBMs, such as Non-proliferation Treaties, No First Use Policies, and Anti-Ballistic Missile agreements.
Many have argued that the use of ballistic missiles compromise national security of neighboring countries and puts smaller countries in jeopardy with no line of defense for themselves. Though current deterrence methods prove to be significant, at the end of the day, these policies and pledges are still handshake agreements with no guarantee of safety. Even with these agreements, many larger, more powerful G-7 countries don’t acknowledge the terms of these treaties. Foreign adversaries are still seen as untrustworthy, with no real or verified way to prove agreements of peace. These threats still remain at large.
Saudi Arabia believes that possession of these missiles are essential for the purpose of balancing regional defense through military power. Saudi Arabia is in possession of an undisclosed number of Intermediate-range Chinese DF-3 missiles alongside a newer batch of DF-21 missiles. With many terrorist attacks from Iranian backed Houthi Forces, and rising tensions with Iran itself, deterrence is crucial in defending the Saudi kingdom and its people. Saudi Arabia is a big supporter of the NPT, especially being one of the signatories. Saudi Arabia has relied heavily on these international treaties and agreements, as well as American and Pakistani alliances. Saudi Arabia wants peace through deterrence by regional balance. Not dominance. Mutual agreement should have options without commitment or the possibility of adversaries gaining strategic advantages.
Saudi Arabia looks forward to progressing towards mutual agreement on peace through deterrence, balance in power, maintaining regional stability, and unbiased policies.
“Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).” IAEA, https://www.iaea.org/publications/documents/treaties/npt. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
“Missiles.” United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, https://disarmament.unoda.org/en/our-work/emerging-challenges/missiles. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
“Saudi Arabia’s Ballistic-Missile Programme: An Overview.” IISS, https://www.iiss.org/online-analysis/online-analysis/2021/08/saudi-arabia-ballistic-missile-programme/. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
“Pakistan’s Strategic Defense Pact with Saudi Arabia: A New Security Architecture in the Wider Middle East.” Middle East Institute, 8 Oct. 2025, https://mei.edu/publication/pakistans-strategic-defense-pact-saudi-arabia-new-security-architecture-wider-middle/. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.