As of today, nine countries possess nuclear weapons, making the question, “Who currently has Nuclear Weapons?” A vital one. Of these, Russia has over 2,000 nuclear weapons and the United States has over 100 nuclear warheads. Although no weapons have been detonated in war since 1945, this does not mean that such weapons are out of the question, as anyone with the necessary technology and intelligence could potentially develop and deploy such weapons.
Most nuclear states have either achieved nuclear triads or consolidated away from land-based deterrents. Five states are known to have detonated a nuclear explosive before the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) came into effect, including the United States, Russia, UK, France, and China. While these countries are not required to disarm their nuclear arsenals, it is important to note that some of them remain member states of the NPT.
These weapons have the potential to kill millions. They are a form of mass destruction that can destroy entire cities and cause long-term damage to the environment and future generations. The United States was the first nation to use nuclear weapons in 1945, in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The United States is the only country to use nuclear weapons one time, but it is possible for other countries to test them on a regular basis.
As of early 2022, nine countries have nuclear weapons. As of January 2021, there were about 13,080 warheads in the world. Ninety-five percent of the weapons worldwide belonged to Russia and the United States. Russia currently has over 4,000 warheads, while the United States has five thousand. The total number of nuclear weapons has steadily decreased since the end of the Cold War, but there are still nine countries with nuclear capability.
However, Russia signed the NPT before the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, but it continued to test nuclear weapons and a nuclear warhead has not yet been detonated. While the United States has an arsenal of conventional weapons, Russia has over twenty nuclear warheads. The threat of nuclear war has never disappeared. Recent tensions in Ukraine brought this topic to the forefront again. Despite these developments, however, work towards disarmament is ongoing for the world’s top nuclear states.
While the United States has signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) and is a signatory of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NCT), the US has consistently refused to abide by the No First Use policy. It also refuses to voluntarily dismantle any nuclear warheads it has already acquired, and is now planning to spend up to $634 billion on nuclear weapons between fiscal years 2021 and 2030.
India and Pakistan, which are both part of the NPT, have nuclear weapons. India’s nuclear arsenal is currently only half that of China’s, but their combined arsenal could kill up to fifty to 150 million people in cities, and tens of millions globally. In addition to this, the smoke from burning cities would block sunlight and cause ground temperatures to fall to Ice Age levels within a few weeks. And because no one could grow food, people would starve.
In the past, five nuclear-weapon states have publicly detonated their atomic bombs. There are also five states that have built explosive devices since the NPT took effect, including the United States. Since then, only five states have been recognized as having nuclear weapons. In other words, five nuclear-weapon states are no longer allowed to build such weapons in perpetuity. Nevertheless, some states have chosen to violate the NPT’s rules by acquiring them.
It is unclear exactly where the current nuclear weapons arsenal of Iran are. Initially, the IAEA’s investigation into Iran’s past nuclear weapons activities revealed that the country had organized a nuclear weapons program prior to 2003, and some of these activities continued through 2009. After this, however, the country was still believed to have no nuclear weapons, and this fact has sparked a new debate – “Who currently has Nuclear Weapons?”?