Tuesday, June 18, 2024

NO!NUKES!

NATO Countries Hold Talks to Deploy More Nuclear Weapons

Allies are discussing putting their nuclear weapons on alert while China is in the process of significantly modernizing and expanding its nuclear arsenal.


by Kyiv Post | June 18, 2024

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg delivers a doorstep statement during a meeting of NATO Ministers of Defence at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on June 13, 2024. (Photo by SIMON WOHLFAHRT / AFP)

NATO countries are discussing putting their nuclear weapons on alert as part of a nuclear deterrent due to the threat from Russia and China, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview with The Telegraph.

Stoltenberg said: “I won’t go into operational details about how many nuclear warheads should be operational and which should be stored, but we need to consult on these issues. That’s exactly what we’re doing.”

In his view, the alliance should send a “direct message” to its adversaries with its nuclear arsenal.

He warns that China is investing heavily in modern weapons, including a nuclear arsenal that he says will grow to a thousand warheads by 2030.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s (SIPRI) annual review states that Russia and the United States together continue to possess almost 90 percent of all nuclear weapons in the world. The size of the countries’ arsenals has remained relatively stable, but in 2023 Russia deployed 36 more warheads in its operational forces than the year before, experts say.

Beijing is currently in the process of significantly modernizing and expanding its nuclear arsenal. China has increased its nuclear forces from 410 warheads in 2023 to 500 in 2024.

SIPRI experts suggest that China has for the first time deployed a small number of nuclear warheads (about 24) on its missiles, putting them on alert, which indicates that in the next 10 years the country will deploy as many intercontinental ballistic missiles as Russia or the United States.

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According to SIPRI experts, nuclear weapons have not played such a prominent role since the Cold War.

Last week, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that Russia has launched the second phase of tactical nuclear weapons exercises, this time with Belarus.

The exercises will focus on joint training of units of the Russian and Belarusian armed forces to deploy tactical nuclear weapons.

Non-strategic nuclear weapons, also known as tactical nuclear weapons, are designed for use on the battlefield.

Although these warheads have not yet been used in combat, they can be delivered via missiles, aircraft, or artillery. While they may not be as potentially devastating as strategic nuclear weapons, which can destroy entire cities, they still have the potential to be highly destructive, far more so than the two nuclear weapons used on cities in Japan at the end of World War II.

India has more nuclear weapons than Pakistan; US biggest spender, says SIPRI report 

SIPRI report: An ICAN report showed nuclear countries spent a total of $91.4 billion on their arsenals in 2023 — $2,898 per second. Further, the coalition of disarmament activists noted a $10.7 billion increase in global spending on nuclear weapons compared to 2022.
Image shows an unarmed Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missile test launch at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The world’s nine nuclear-armed states continue to modernise their nuclear weapons as the countries continue to deepen their reliance on such deterrence in 2023, a Swedish think tank SIPRI’s report said on June 17.
(Staff Sgt. J.T. Armstrong / U.S. Air Force via AP)

SIPRI Report: The world's nine nuclear-armed states modernised their nuclear weapons and deepened their reliance on deterrence in 2023, according to a Swedish think tank, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), AP reported.

“We have not seen nuclear weapons playing such a prominent role in international relations since the Cold War,” said Wilfred Wan, director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute's weapons of mass destruction program.

Nuclear spending on the rise


A separate report by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) revealed that the nine nuclear-armed states spent a combined total of $91.4 billion on their arsenals in 2023. This amounts to $2,898 per second.

The Geneva-based coalition of disarmament activists, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017, noted a $10.7 billion increase in global spending on nuclear weapons compared to 2022.

The United States accounted for 80 percent of the increased investment in nuclear weapons, spending $51.5 billion, more than all the other nuclear-armed countries combined. China was the next biggest spender, pumping in $11.8 billion, and Russia rounded off the top three, spending $8.3 billion.

“There has been a notable upward trend in the amount of money devoted to developing these most inhumane and destructive of weapons over the past five years. All this money is not improving global security; in fact, it’s threatening people wherever they live,” said Alicia Sanders-Zakre, Policy and Research Coordinator with ICAN.

Nine nuclear-armed nations, including the US, Russia, France, China, India, and Pakistan, continued to modernise their arsenals and deployed new nuclear-capable weapon systems in 2023, according to a Swedish think-tank.

SIPRI reported that China's nuclear arsenal grew from 410 warheads in January 2023 to 500 in January 2024, with further growth expected.

The report stated that approximately 2,100 of the deployed warheads were on high operational alert on ballistic missiles, mostly belonging to Russia or the US. For the first time, China is also believed to have some warheads on high operational alert.

SIPRI noted that the nine nuclear-armed states – the US, Russia, the UK, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel – continued modernising their nuclear arsenals and deployed new nuclear-armed or nuclear-capable systems in 2023.

Of an estimated global total of 12,121 warheads in January 2024, about 9,585 were in military stockpiles for potential use. Approximately 3,904 of those warheads were deployed with missiles and aircraft, 60 more than in January 2023, with the rest in central storage.
Russia and the US hold almost 90 per cent of all nuclear weapons, with their military stockpiles remaining relatively stable in 2023. However, Russia is estimated to have deployed around 36 more warheads with operational forces than in January 2023.

India's Stored Nuclear Warheads More Than Pak, Some Countries Have Nukes On 'High Op Alert': Report

Swedish think-tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) report said some 2,100 of the deployed warheads were kept in a state of high operational alert on ballistic missiles, and nearly all of them belonged to Russia or the US, adding that for the first time, China is believed to have some warheads on high operational alert.



Outlook Web Desk
Updated on: 18 June 2024


The nuclear power plant of Jaslovske Bohunice is pictured,
 in Bohunice, western Slovakia, March 22, 2000. 
Photo: AP/Representative

A Swedish think-tank report said that India has more nuclear warheads than Pakistan, adding that both the countries continued to develop new types of nuclear delivery systems in 2023.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said, in a report, said all nuclear-armed nations continued to modernise their nuclear arsenals and several of them deployed new nuclear-capable weapon systems in 2023.

SIPRI Report On Nuclear Arsenals | Key Points


Several Countries Deployed Nuclear-Capable Weapon Systems In 2023: Nine nuclear-armed nations including the US, Russia, France, China, India and Pakistan, continued to modernise their nuclear arsenals and several of them deployed new nuclear-capable weapon systems in 2023, a report by Swedish think-tank SIPRI said on Monday, adding that several of these countries deployed new nuclear-armed or nuclear-capable weapon systems in 2023.

Nuclear Warheads On 'High Operational Alert': SIPRI said China's nuclear arsenal increased from 410 warheads in January 2023 to 500 in January 2024, and it is expected to keep growing. The report said some 2,100 of the deployed warheads were kept in a state of high operational alert on ballistic missiles, and nearly all of them belonged to Russia or the US. However, for the first time China is believed to have some warheads on high operational alert, it said.

"Around 2,100 of the deployed warheads were kept in a state of high operational alert on ballistic missiles. Nearly all of these warheads belonged to Russia or the US, but for the first time China is believed to have some warheads on high operational alert," the report said.

India's Nuclear Warheads More Than Pak: The report put India's 'stored' nuclear warheads at 172 in January this year while the number for Pakistan was 170. India slightly expanded its nuclear arsenal in 2023, it said, adding that both India and Pakistan continued to develop new types of nuclear delivery systems in 2023. While Pakistan remains the main focus of India's nuclear deterrent, India appears to be placing growing emphasis on longer-range weapons, including those capable of reaching targets throughout China, the report added.

Total Global Inventory: Of the total global inventory of an estimated 12,121 warheads in January 2024, about 9,585 were in military stockpiles for potential use, the report said. An estimated 3,904 of those warheads were deployed with missiles and aircraft -- 60 more than in January 2023 -- and the rest were in central storage, it said.

90% Of All Nuclear Weapons With Russia, US: The SIPRI report said Russia and the US together possess almost 90 per cent of all nuclear weapons. The sizes of their respective military stockpiles seem to have remained relatively stable in 2023, although Russia is estimated to have deployed around 36 more warheads with operational forces than in January 2023, it said.

'Possibility For Nuclear-Armed Countries To Threaten...': According to the report, India, Pakistan and North Korea are all pursuing the capability to deploy multiple warheads on ballistic missiles, something Russia, France, the UK, the US and more recently China already have. This would enable a rapid potential increase in deployed warheads, as well as the possibility for nuclear-armed countries to threaten the destruction of significantly more targets, it said.

China's Nuclear Stockpile Much Smaller Than Russia, US: The report said China's stockpile of nuclear warheads is still expected to remain much smaller than the stockpiles of either of Russia and the US. "China is expanding its nuclear arsenal faster than any other country," said Hans M Kristensen, Associate Senior Fellow with SIPRI's Weapons of Mass Destruction Programme and Director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS). But in nearly all of the nuclear-armed states there are either plans or a significant push to increase nuclear forces, Kristensen said.


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