Number of nuclear weapons held by big powers rising, China sees largest increase in battle-ready warheads: Report

A leading think tank has claimed that number of operational nuclear weapons in the arsenals of the major military powers is on the rise, with China seeing the largest increase in battle-ready warheads. According to The Guardian report, citing the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri), there are now said to be an estimated 12,512 warheads globally, of which 9,576 are in military stockpiles ready for potential use, up 86 on a year ago. The think tank suggested that 60 of the new battle-ready nuclear warheads were held by China, while the other new weapons are attributed to Russia (12), Pakistan (five), North Korea (five) and India (four), added the report. The third-largest nuclear power in the world, China is thought to have raised the number of warheads on its arsenal from 350 in January 2022 to 410 in January 2023. That arsenal is anticipated to continue expanding, but according to Sipri, it won’t outpace those of the US and Russia. The rise brings to an end the period of gradual decline that followed the end of the cold war. The increase in battle-fit nuclear weapons comes despite a the UN’s five permanent security council members – the US, Russia, China, the UK and France – saying in a statement in 2021 that “nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought”. According to the report, Russia and the US alone possess almost 90 per cent of all the nuclear weapons globally. In addition to their usable nuclear weapons, the two powers each hold more than 1,000 warheads previously retired from military service, which they are gradually dismantling. 3,844 warheads deployed with missiles and aircraft Of the total of 12,512 warheads in the world, which includes those that are retired and awaiting dismantlement, Sipri estimates that 3,844 are deployed with missiles and aircraft. Around 2,000 of those – nearly all of which belong to Russia or the US – are kept in a state of high operational alert, meaning that they are fitted to missiles or held at airbases hosting nuclear bombers, The Guardian reported. Citing Sipri, the report said that the full picture is difficult to judge as a number of countries, including Russia, the US and the UK, have reduced their level of transparency since Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The report adds that China has never declared the size of its nuclear arsenal and that many of its assessments rely on data from the US Department of Defense (DOD). In 2021, commercial satellite imagery revealed that China had started construction of hundreds of new missile silos across the north of its territory. “China has started a significant expansion of its nuclear arsenal. It is increasingly difficult to square this trend with China’s declared aim of having only the minimum nuclear forces needed to maintain its national security,” The Guardian quoted Hans M Kristensen, an associate senior fellow with Sipri’s weapons of mass destruction programme, as saying. The next greatest nuclear powers are France (290) and the UK (225), and after announcing two years ago that it was expanding its limit from 225 to 260 warheads, the UK is poised to increase its operational arsenal. The US suspended its bilateral strategic stability dialogue with Russia following the invasion of Ukraine and the Kremlin announced it was suspending its participation in the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty limiting the strategic nuclear forces of the two cold war foes. Meanwhile, Russia’s government has increasingly spoken of the risk of nuclear war since its invasion of Ukraine on 24 February. Putin has said that he has put Russia’s nuclear deterrent on high alert. He also said in the immediate wake of his invasion that the consequences for those who stood in his country’s way would be “such as you have never seen in your entire history”. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .