Nuclear arms race to resume in coming decades – SIPRI

In light of Russia’s war against Ukraine, the world expects another nuclear arms race round. This is evidenced by a new study from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), reports DW.

Experts note that each of the nine nuclear countries – Russia, the United States, China, France, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea – starts actively modernizing their arsenals.

According to the SIPRI, the total number of nuclear warheads as of January 2022 is 12,705 units, of which 9,440 are ready for potential use.

This number changed compared to last year, when the nuclear arsenal counted 13,080 warheads.

The researchers explain that such decrease has nothing to do with disarmament. It’s just a decommission of obsolete American and Russian systems. So the number of active warheads hardly changed.

“There are clear signs that the reduction of nuclear arsenals, which took place after the end of the Cold War, is over,” said Hans Christensen, SIPRI’s leading expert on nuclear weapons.

This statement is confirmed by Wilfred Van, the Director of the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Programme at SIPRI:

“All nuclear-armed states are now expanding or upgrading their arsenals. Most of them are switching to more aggressive rhetoric about nuclear weapons and its role in their military strategy,” he said.

The USA and Russia

Russia and the USA together possess over 90% of all nuclear weapons.

SIPRI experts mentioned that at the beginning of 2022, the Russian Federation had 1912 tactical nuclear warheads, in addition to its strategic nuclear weapons. At the same time, there is no consensus among analysts on what classifies as a tactical nuclear weapon.

It is believed that Russian non-strategic nuclear forces aim to balance out the weaknesses of conventional armaments. Thus, they are trying to restore the nuclear parity of the Russian Federation and the United States.

China

China’s nuclear program has been going through some intensive developments in recent months. Satellite images confirm that the PRC is building about 300 new missile silos. It is believed that over the past year, another Chinese submarine was equipped with nuclear weapons.

The UK

Last year, the United Kingdom reported on the increase of its nuclear arsenal. The country has abandoned its disarmament policy that prevailed before.

Previously, the UK criticized China and Russia for lack of transparency on their nuclear programs, but now the British themselves have said that they will classify data on their own nuclear weapons.

France, India, Pakistan, and Israel

Last year, France announced the development of new third-generation submarines with nuclear weapons on board.

Various modernization programs are also implemented by India, Pakistan, and Israel.

The Israelis do not officially confirm, but also do not deny any information about their own nuclear weapons.

North Korea

North Korea continues to prioritize its military nuclear program as a central element of its national security strategy. Official Pyongyang has not conducted any nuclear tests in the past year.

SIPRI experts believe that North Korea’s arsenal contains about 20 warheads, and they have materials to create 20-25 more.

Inference

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute experts state that the risk of a nuclear weapon launch is now higher than ever since the end of the Cold War.

Due to the threat of nuclear war, the United States has experienced a boom in the production of underground bunkers for customers from around the world.