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Washington Post
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
The next nuclear age
Today's nuclear landscape is more precarious than during the Cold War This page lists a series of articles by experts from the Federation of American Scientists, a leading think tank studying the nuclear threat, examining why today's nuclear landscape is more complicated and, in many ways, more precarious than during the Cold War. Part 1 Why we should worry about nuclear weapons again (Cristiana Couceiro/For The Washington Post; Getty images; U.S. Army A.A.F/Library of Congress) By Jon B. Wolfsthal, Hans Kristensen and Matt Korda Over the past 30 years, since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the prospect of nuclear war has faded from the American consciousness. With the end of the Cold War, films depicting the last days of humanity, such as 1959's 'On the Beach,' or the 1983 TV drama 'The Day After,' largely disappeared from the Hollywood playbook. Schoolchildren no longer hid under their desks during practice drills to survive nuclear war. Read more. Part 2 How nuclear war could start (Cristiana Couceiro/For The Washington Post) By Hans Kristensen, Matt Korda, Eliana Johns and Allie Maloney If a nuclear war happens, it could very well start by accident. A decision to use the most destructive weapons ever created could grow out of human error or a misunderstanding just as easily as a deliberate decision on the part of an aggrieved nation. A faulty computer system could wrongly report incoming missiles, causing a country to retaliate against its suspected attacker. Read more. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement Part 3 Only one American can start a nuclear war: The president (Cristiana Couceiro/For The Washington Post; Getty) By Mackenzie Knight-Boyle Three minutes, a football and a biscuit. These are all a president of the United States needs to start nuclear war. During a 1974 meeting with lawmakers, President Richard M. Nixon reportedly stated: 'I can go into my office and pick up the telephone, and in 25 minutes 70 million people will be dead.' He was correct. And since then, despite the end of the Cold War and collapse of the Soviet Union, little has changed. Read more. Part 4 What's making some countries daydream about nukes again? () By Jon B. Wolfsthal, Hans Kristensen and Matt Korda For 80 years, the United States has invested enormous effort in preventing countries from building nuclear arsenals. It has done so through lengthy negotiations, trade incentives, diplomatic engagement, treaties and, on rare occasions, military force. The recent U.S. attack on Iran's nuclear facilities was aimed at the same goal: stopping Iran from becoming the world's 10th nuclear power. Whether that goal was achieved will not be known for some time. But by bombing now, the United States might have brought about the very thing it was trying to prevent. Read more. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement Part 5 How a nuclear attack on the U.S. might unfold, step by step (Cristiana Couceiro/For The/Library of Congress) By Mackenzie Knight-Boyle This article is a hypothetical scenario of the United States responding to an incoming nuclear attack. Though the full nuclear launch process remains classified, many of the harrowing details have been made public via declassified documents and reports from those who have been on the inside. Read more.
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Business Standard
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
India believed to have 'slightly expanded' nuclear arsenal in 2024: Report
Nearly all of the nine nuclear-armed states, including India and Pakistan, continued intensive nuclear modernisation programmes in 2024, upgrading existing weapons and adding newer versions, according to a report by a global think-tank. India is believed to have once again "slightly expanded" its nuclear arsenal in 2024 and continued to develop new types of nuclear delivery systems, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in a statement. Pakistan also continued to develop new delivery systems and "accumulate fissile material" in 2024, suggesting that its nuclear arsenal might expand over the coming decade, it said. The think-tank on Monday launched its annual assessment of the state of armaments, disarmament and international security in SIPRI Yearbook 2025. The statement on the release of its yearbook also makes a reference to the recent military conflict between India and Pakistan. The four-day military confrontation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours in May brought the two countries to the brink of full-scale war. The SIPRI Yearbook provided a country-wise assessment of the state of armaments, disarmament and international security. "Nearly all of the nine nuclear-armed states -- the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and Israel --continued intensive nuclear modernisation programmes in 2024, upgrading existing weapons and adding newer versions," the statement said. Of the total global inventory of an estimated 12,241 warheads in January 2025, about 9,614 were in "military stockpiles for potential use", it claimed. "India is believed to have once again slightly expanded its nuclear arsenal in 2024 and continued to develop new types of nuclear delivery system," it said. "India's new 'canisterised' missiles, which can be transported with mated warheads, may be capable of carrying nuclear warheads during peacetime, and possibly even multiple warheads on each missile, once they become operational," the think-tank claimed. In early 2025 tensions between India and Pakistan briefly spilled over into armed conflict, it said. The combination of strikes and third-party disinformation "risked turning a conventional conflict into a nuclear crisis," Matt Korda, Associate Senior Researcher with SIPRI's Weapons of Mass Destruction Programme and Associate Director for the Nuclear Information Project at FAS (Federation of American Scientists), was quoted as saying in the statement. "This should act as a stark warning for states seeking to increase their reliance on nuclear weapons," he said. The think-tank further said since the end of the Cold War, the gradual dismantlement of retired warheads by Russia and the USA has normally outstripped the deployment of new warheads, resulting in an overall year-on-year decrease in the global inventory of nuclear weapons. "This trend is likely to be reversed in the coming years, as the pace of dismantlement is slowing, while the deployment of new nuclear weapons is accelerating," it cautioned. Key findings of SIPRI Yearbook 2025 are that a "dangerous new nuclear arms race" is emerging at a time when arms control regimes are "severely weakened," it claimed. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Scroll.in
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
India has more nuclear warheads than Pakistan, China far ahead: Global arms watchdog
Although India has a slight edge over Pakistan in terms of the number of nuclear warheads, it is far behind China, said the global arms watchdog Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, or SIPRI, on Monday. According to the organisation's assessment, India has 180 nuclear warheads, while Pakistan has 170. China is estimated to have 600 nuclear warheads as of January. Of these, 24 are deployed warheads, which means that they are either placed on missiles or are located at bases with operational forces. Nine countries currently have nuclear weapons: the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel. Of these, Russia, with 5,459 warheads, and the United States, with 5,177, have the largest total nuclear inventories. India is believed to have slightly expanded its nuclear arsenal in 2024 and continues to develop new types of nuclear delivery systems, SIPRI said in its yearbook on Monday. 'India's new 'canisterised' missiles, which can be transported with mated warheads, may be capable of carrying nuclear warheads during peacetime, and possibly even multiple warheads on each missile, once they become operational,' it said. The organisation made a note of last month's four-day military conflict between India and Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22. In this context, Matt Korda, the associate senior researcher with SIPRI's Weapons of Mass Destruction Programme, said: 'The combination of strikes on nuclear-related military infrastructure and third-party disinformation risked turning a conventional conflict into a nuclear crisis. This should act as a stark warning for states seeking to increase their reliance on nuclear weapons.' Indian officials, including Chief of Defence Staff Anil Chauhan, have maintained that during the conflict in May, neither side came close to considering the use of nuclear weapons, The Times of India reported. Nevertheless, Korda remarked: 'As the recent flare-up of hostilities in India and Pakistan amply demonstrated, nuclear weapons do not prevent conflict. They also come with immense risks of escalation and catastrophic miscalculation – particularly when disinformation is rife – and may end up making a country's population less safe, not more.' The SIPRI report said that China's nuclear stockpile is growing faster than that of any other country. 'By January 2025, China had completed or was close to completing around 350 new ICBM [intercontinental ballistic missile] silos in three large desert fields in the north of the country and three mountainous areas in the east,' it said.
India.com
17-06-2025
- Politics
- India.com
China adds 100 Nuclear bombs in one year, India have 8 : Here's how many nukes Pakistan, Russia, Israel and others inducted
China adds 100 Nuclear bombs in one year, India have 8 : Here's how many nukes Pakistan, Russia, Israel and others inducted New Delhi: Amid the ongoing tensions across the globe, nine nuclear-armed countries in the world— United States, Russia, United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel—continued to enhance their nuclear arsenals in 2024. According to the reports, these nations have upgraded older weapons and added new, more powerful ones to their military forces. This situation is becoming a major threat to global security. Russia and the United States continued to dismantle old weapons after the end of the Cold War. This has led to a decline in the global number of nuclear weapons. But now, this trend is changing. The speed of dismantling old arms is slowing down, while the deployment of new weapons is increasing rapidly. Here are some of the important details: An estimated 12,241 nuclear weapons existed worldwide as of January 2025. Of these, around 9,614 were in military stockpiles and ready for use. Approximately 3,912 weapons were deployed on missiles and aircraft, while the rest were kept in central storage. About 2,100 deployed weapons were on ballistic missiles in a state of high operational alert, most of them belonging to Russia and the United States. It is important to note that the Vladimir Putin-led Russia and the United States possess 90 percent of the world's nuclear weapons. As per the reports, the military stockpiles of both countries remained stable in 2024. However, the US and Russia are actively working on modernizing their nuclear arsenals. If the 2010 New START treaty, which is set to expire in 2026, is not renewed, the number of warheads deployed on missiles by both nations could increase. India and Pakistan Situation India, in 2024, increased its nuclear arsenal and developed new delivery systems. India's new 'canisterized' missiles, capable of carrying nuclear warheads, can be deployed even during peacetime. Some of these missiles may be capable of carrying multiple warheads. Pakistan is also developing new delivery systems and expanding its stockpile of nuclear material. In early 2025, an armed conflict broke out between India and Pakistan, raising the threat of a nuclear crisis. SIPRI expert Matt Korda stated that this incident serves as a warning to countries that are increasing their reliance on nuclear weapons.
The Hindu
17-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
India maintains nuclear edge over Pakistan with more warheads, next-gen 'canisterised' MIRV-capable missiles: SIPRI report
India continues to maintain an edge over Pakistan in nuclear capabilities, with the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) noting that India has not only expanded its nuclear arsenal from 172 warheads in 2024 to an estimated 180 in 2025, but also made significant progress in developing advanced nuclear delivery systems. According to the SIPRI report, India's new 'canisterised' missiles, which allow warheads to be pre-mounted and transported more safely, could potentially carry nuclear warheads even during 'peacetime'. These next-generation systems may also be able to deliver multiple warheads using a single missile in the near future. 'India is believed to have once again slightly expanded its nuclear arsenal in 2024 and continued to develop new types of nuclear delivery systems. India's new 'canisterised' missiles, which can be transported with mated warheads, may be capable of carrying nuclear warheads during peacetime, and possibly even multiple warheads on each missile, once they become operational,' the SIPRI report said. Among the newest of India's next-generation delivery platforms are the Agni Prime (Agni-P) missile and the Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV)-capable Agni-5 system. According to India's Ministry of Defence, Agni-P is a new-generation, advanced variant of the Agni series of missiles. It is a canisterised missile with a range of between 1,000 and 2,000 kilometres. The latest test of the Agni-P was conducted last year. India also successfully tested the MIRV-capable Agni-5 last year. This missile is capable of striking targets at ranges exceeding 5,000 kilometres. Following the test, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had lauded the efforts of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) scientists involved in the mission. In a post on X, he wrote: 'Proud of our DRDO scientists for Mission Divyastra, the first flight test of the indigenously developed Agni-5 missile with Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) technology.' Pakistan, meanwhile, also continued the development of new nuclear delivery platforms and accumulated more fissile material in 2024, suggesting an intent to further expand its nuclear arsenal in the coming decade, SIPRI observed. Referring to a brief India-Pakistan military clash in early 2025, SIPRI raised serious concerns about the risks of escalation during conventional conflicts between nuclear-armed neighbours. Associate Senior Researcher with SIPRI's Weapons of Mass Destruction Programme and Associate Director for the Nuclear Information Project at FAS, Matt Korda, warned: 'The combination of strikes on nuclear-related military infrastructure and third-party disinformation risked turning a conventional conflict into a nuclear crisis.' He added, 'This should act as a stark warning for states seeking to increase their reliance on nuclear weapons.' SIPRI also noted that while India and Pakistan continue to modernise their arsenals, China's nuclear build-up is progressing at a much faster rate. The report estimated that since 2023, China has been adding around 100 new nuclear warheads annually. By January 2025, China had completed or was nearing completion of approximately 350 new Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) silos spread across desert areas in the north and mountainous terrain in the east of the country. Depending on its force structure, China could potentially match the number of ICBMs possessed by Russia or the United States by the end of the decade. However, even if China reaches the projected 1,500 warheads by 2035, it would still possess only about one-third the number of warheads currently held by Russia or the U.S. SIPRI Director Dan Smith voiced concerns about the weakening of nuclear arms control and the prospects of a new nuclear arms race. 'China is increasing its nuclear force steadily,' Mr. Smith said, adding that the country could reach 1,000 warheads within the next seven to eight years. As of January 2025, SIPRI estimated the total global nuclear warhead inventory at 12,241, of which about 9,614 were in military stockpiles for potential use. Around 3,912 warheads were deployed with operational missiles and aircraft, and the rest remained in central storage. Approximately 2,100 of the deployed warheads were kept on high operational alert on ballistic missiles, most of them belonging to Russia or the United States. However, SIPRI noted that China may now also be maintaining some warheads on missiles during peacetime. The report further noted that since the end of the Cold War, Russia and the U.S. had dismantled more warheads than they deployed each year, leading to a slow reduction in global nuclear stockpiles. But this trend may now be reversing, with dismantlement slowing down while deployment of new warheads increases. SIPRI said that all nine nuclear-armed states--the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel — continued to invest heavily in modernising their nuclear forces in 2024. This includes not only upgrading existing systems but also introducing newer technologies and weapons.
