Nine countries are rapidly expanding their nuclear arsenals
The world’s nine nuclear powers—the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel—continued a large-scale modernization of their nuclear arsenals in 2025.
According to analysts, the long-standing trend toward reducing global nuclear arsenals, observed since the end of the Cold War, will be completely reversed in the coming years due to a slowdown in disarmament processes and the accelerated deployment of new combat systems.
The total global stockpile of nuclear warheads as of January of this year reached approximately 12,187 units, of which about 9,745 were in a state of full readiness for potential operational use.
Specifically, about 4,012 warheads have already been deployed directly on ballistic missiles and strategic aircraft, and between 2,100 and 2,200 units were in a state of highest combat readiness.
Researchers note that virtually all of these deployed strategic deterrent forces belong to the Russian Federation and the United States, which together control nearly 83% of the world’s stockpiles.
“Nuclear states are increasingly sidelining or ignoring disarmament obligations, fueling an arms race,” emphasized Hans Kristensen, a senior researcher at the institute.
In turn, SIPRI Director Karim Haggag warned that the overall international threat is rapidly growing due to the development of new technologies, the complete collapse of the former arms control system, and a deep geopolitical crisis that is currently calling into question the very logic of classical nuclear deterrence.
The situation was significantly complicated by the fact that the New START treaty officially expired in February 2026, which has heightened strategic uncertainty.
U.S. and Russian military stockpiles remained relatively stable in 2025, but the large-scale modernization programs that have been launched are guaranteed to increase arsenals in the future.
The Russian program has faced certain difficulties: the test of the “Sarmat” missile ended in failure, and the pace of modernization has been affected by Western sanctions and the costs of the war against Ukraine.
At the same time, the Burevestnik cruise missile successfully passed tests at a range of over 14,000 kilometers, and construction has begun in Belarus on a base for the “Oreshnik” missile, which was used against Ukraine in May 2026 without a nuclear warhead.
Further growth of the Russian arsenal is expected through the deployment of a greater number of warheads on each individual missile.
The U.S. defense program is also suffering from planning issues and a severe shortage of funding, which threatens significant delays and rising associated costs.
The situation is further complicated by the government’s desire to build the “Golden Dome” global missile defense system, estimated to cost $1.2 trillion, as U.S. President Donald Trump is actively pushing for the implementation of this costly project.
The expansion of U.S. nuclear capabilities is currently planned through the reactivation of mothballed launchers and the addition of non-strategic weapons in response to China’s actions.
This is stated in the annual report of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), released on June 8.
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