join the club

またballistic missile関連です（http://d.hatena.ne.jp/A30/20120413/1334311270）。インド政府は中国全土を射程に入れることができる射程５千キロの弾道ミサイル「アグニ５」発射実験を成功裡に行ったと発表しました。

The Agni-V was launched from a site off India's east coast and took about 20 minutes to hit its target somewhere near Indonesia in the Indian Ocean.

The missile has a range of more than 5,000km (3,100 miles), potentially bringing targets in China within range.

India said the launch was "flawless" and the missile had reached its target.

"The ships located in mid-range and at the target point have tracked the vehicle [missile] and witnessed the final event," Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) spokesman Ravi Gupta said.

With this, India joins an elite nuclear club of China, Russia, France, the US and UK which already have long-range missiles, although with a much greater range. Israel is also thought to possess them.

"It was a perfect launch. It met all the test parameters and hit its pre-determined target," SP Das, director of the test range, told the BBC. He confirmed the missile had flown more than 5,000km before reaching the target.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-17765653

join an elite clubは、文字通り、「（大陸間弾道弾を保有する）「特権階級の核クラブに仲間入り」ということですが、この表現で連想するのが、join the club/welcome to the clubという言い回しです（昔は前者が英、後者が米で用いられるとされていましたが、今はその区別はあいまい）。

これは「お仲間ですね！」「私もだよ！」「同じだね！」などと、相手が自分と同じ立場、状況になったときに使われる同調表現で（"A phrase used to express sympathy for a common experience.　Something that you agree with"）、プラス、マイナスの両面で用いられます。（UG）