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In a clear reflection of escalating global tensions, nations possessing nuclear capabilities have increased their expenditure on atomic weaponry by a significant 33% over the past five years. This surge in spending is attributed to the modernization of their arsenals, as revealed by two recent reports.
The global nuclear arsenal received a massive influx of funding in 2022, with nine nations pouring a combined $91 billion into their weaponry. ICAN’s latest report reveals the staggering cost of maintaining these powerful weapons.
The nuclear arms race is heating up, with countries possessing these weapons investing heavily in modernization and deployment of new nuclear-armed systems, as revealed by ICAN and SIPRI reports. This surge in spending raises concerns about the global nuclear landscape.
“I think it is fair to say there is a nuclear arms race underway,” ICAN chief Melissa Parke told AFP.
According to Wilfred Wan, director of SIPRI’s weapons of mass destruction program, the influence of nuclear weapons on global affairs is at a level not seen since the Cold War. This sobering assessment underscores the urgent need for diplomatic efforts.
SIPRI’s latest findings indicate a slight reduction in the global nuclear inventory, with an estimated 12,121 warheads currently in existence, marking a decline from the 12,512 reported last year.
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But while some of that included older warheads scheduled to be dismantled, it said 9,585 were in stockpiles for potential use — nine more than a year earlier.
And 2,100 were kept in a state of “high operational alert” on ballistic missiles.
Nearly all of those were held by the United States and Russia, but China was for the first time believed to also have some warheads on high operational alert, SIPRI said.
“While the global total of nuclear warheads continues to fall as Cold War-era weapons are gradually dismantled, regrettably we continue to see year-on-year increases in the number of operational nuclear warheads,” SIPRI director Dan Smith said.
The next biggest spender was China, at $11.8 billion, followed by Russia, spending $8.3 billion.
Britain’s financial outlay sees a considerable hike, swelling by 17% for the second year in a row to a substantial $8.1 billion, a notable expansion in spending patterns.
The world’s nuclear powers, including France, India, Israel, Pakistan, and North Korea, collectively increased their military expenditures by over a third, reaching $90.4 billion in 2023, a significant escalation from the $68.2 billion spent in 2018.
The nuclear-armed nations have collectively splurged $387 billion on their weapons of mass destruction, the report shows, sounding the alarm on the spiraling costs of nuclear militarization.
Parke slammed “the billions of dollars being squandered on nuclear weapons” as “a profound and unacceptable misallocation of public funds”.
She pointed out the jarring disparity between the funds devoted to nuclear arms and the relatively modest amount needed to wipe out worldwide hunger, as calculated by the World Food Programme.
