The Pakistanis are arming up.

Pakistan is "rapidly" increasing its nuclear arsenal.

My first guess at context is that this is some strategic resettling of the Pakistan/India relationship after the pro-Kashmiri's carried out those very visible terror attacks on the hotels in Mumbai. In the aftermath, the Indians reportedly came fairly close to launching attacks into Pakistan, so I'm guessing the Pakistanis are arming up in case another terror attack again stresses the relationship.

Also of interest, look at the way this came up, Sen. Jim Webb, the very national defense connected former Secretary of the Navy.

During a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday, Senator Jim Webb, a Virginia Democrat, veered from the budget proposal under debate to ask Admiral Mullen about public reports “that Pakistan is, at the moment, increasing its nuclear program — that it may be actually adding on to weapons systems and warheads. Do you have any evidence of that?”

It was then that Admiral Mullen responded with his one-word confirmation.

It sounds kinda like someone hinted that the question might be worth injecting. (to leverage the Pakistanis to continue their offensive against the money we're sending them?)