Global nuclear arsenal to grow for first time since Cold War: think-tank

• The number of nuclear weapons in the world fell to 12,705 in January 2022, down from 13,080 in January 2021.
• Around 2,000 warheads – nearly all belonging to Russia or the U.S.
• they were kept in a condition of high readiness.

STOCKHOLM – For the first time since the Cold War, the worldwide nuclear arsenal is anticipated to expand in the next years, while the chance of such weapons being used is at an all-time high, according to a prominent conflict and armaments think-tank.

The invasion of Ukraine by Russia and Western support for Kyiv has heightened tensions among the world’s nine nuclear-armed powers, according to new study from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

While the quantity of nuclear weapons decreased marginally between January 2021 and January 2022, SIPRI warned that unless nuclear countries took quick action, global warhead stocks could soon begin to rise for the first time in decades.

In SIPRI’s 2022 yearbook, Wilfred Wan, Director of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Programme, said, “All of the nuclear-armed governments are growing or upgrading their arsenals, and most are sharpening nuclear rhetoric and the role nuclear weapons play in their military strategies.”

“This is a really concerning trend.”

President Vladimir Putin put Russia’s nuclear deterrent on high alert three days after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, which the Kremlin describes as a “special military operation.”

He has also threatened countries that stand in Russia’s path with consequences “beyond anything you have ever seen in your entire history.”

With 5,977 nuclear warheads, Russia holds the world’s largest nuclear arsenal, approximately 550 more than the United States. The two countries control more than 90% of the world’s nuclear weapons, however SIPRI reported that China is expanding its missile arsenal with more than 300 additional missile silos.

According to SIPRI, the number of nuclear weapons in the world fell to 12,705 in January 2022, down from 13,080 in January 2021. Around 2,000 warheads – nearly all belonging to Russia or the United States – were kept in a condition of high readiness after being deployed with missiles and aircraft.

“At a time when humanity and the earth face an array of fundamental and serious global challenges that can only be handled by international cooperation,” SIPRI board chairman and former Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven stated.