2023-06-12 01:34:32
The nuclear arsenals of several countries, and China in particular, increased last year while other nuclear powers continued to modernize their tools, in a context of heightened geopolitical tensions, alerted researchers Monday.
The total number of warheads among the nine nuclear powers — Britain, China, France, India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, the United States and Russia — fell to 12,512 at the start of 2023, from 12,710 at the start of 2022, according to SIPRI. .
However, 9,576 are in “military stockpiles for potential use”, 86 more than a year earlier.
SIPRI distinguishes the stocks available for use from their total inventory, which includes old equipment to be dismantled.
“The stockpile is made up of usable nuclear warheads, and those numbers are starting to rise,” Smith said, noting that the numbers are still far from the more than 70,000 seen in the 1980s.
Most of the increase comes from China, which increased its stockpile from 350 to 410 nuclear warheads. It invested heavily in its military as its economy and influence grew, according to Smith.
India, Pakistan and North Korea also increased their inventories, as well as Russia, to a lesser extent (4,477 to 4,489), while the other nuclear powers maintained their volumes.
With nearly 90% of the nuclear warheads in the world alone, the United States and Russia are the first two countries that possess the most.
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