23,000 Nukes in 14 Nations arround the Globe

[Kompromat]

I guess the world has become the most dangerous place to live in , we have arround 23k Nukes arround the Planet . Pathetic..


More Than 23,000 Nukes Found in 14 Nations, Report Says
Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009


There are an estimated 23,360 nuclear weapons stockpiled in 14 nations, with the great majority held by Russia and the United States, two nonproliferation experts said in a report issued this week (see GSN, Oct. 20).



(Nov. 18) - A Russian Topol-M ICBM, shown at a parade in Red Square last April. More than 23,000 nuclear weapons remain dispersed around the world, a new report estimates (Dmitry Korotayev/Getty Images).
There are nine nations known or widely assumed to possess nuclear weapons -- China, France, India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Another five European states -- Belgium, Germany, Italy, Turkey and the Netherlands -- also host U.S. nuclear bombs.

Russia is believed to hold roughly 13,000 nuclear weapons, of which 4,850 are on active or operational status. "The status of the other 8,150 warheads is unclear. Some portion may be in reserve with the balance retired and awaiting dismantlement," Robert Norris and Hans Kristensen stated in the November/December edition of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

The United States holds about 9,400 nuclear weapons, with 2,700 on operational status.

The former Cold War rivals have significantly cut back the number of nuclear-weapon storage sites, the report says. The United States in the 1980s deployed weapons at 75 locations in Germany; that figure is now down to one. "Today, U.S. weapons are stored at a total of 21 locations in 13 states and five European countries."

While the former Soviet Union once used about 500 nuclear storage sites, Russia operates 48 facilities. All such weapons have been removed from the former Soviet republics of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine (see GSN, Oct. 23).

France is believed to possess roughly 300 nuclear weapons, while the United Kingdom keeps about 180. Both nations have made cuts to their nuclear arsenals and the number of storage sites, the report says.

Conversely, the analysts found that China, India and Pakistan were "quantitatively and qualitatively increasing their arsenals and deploying weapons at more sites."

China holds an estimated 240 nuclear weapons, while India is believed to possess between 60 and 80 and Pakistan between 70 and 90.

The storage sites in those nations "are difficult to pinpoint," particularly when it comes to India and Pakistan, the report says.

"Whereas many of the Chinese bases are known, this is not the case in Pakistan and India, where we have found no credible information that identifies permanent nuclear weapons storage locations," Norris and Kristensen stated.

The analysts described Israel -- holder of between 80 and 100 nuclear weapons that it has never officially acknowledged -- as a "wild card because of the opacity of its nuclear weapons program." Any modifications to its nuclear arsenal, which is apparently not maintained on an active status, are likely to be "modest," they said.

There is no known "credible information on how North Korea has weaponized its nuclear weapons capability, much less where those weapons are stored," according to the report, which assigned no specific number to Pyongyang's arsenal. "We also take note that a recent U.S. Air Force intelligence report did not list any of North Korea's ballistic missiles as nuclear-capable" (Norris/Kristensen, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, November/December 2009).

 

[Lethalforce]

the numbers maybe a little off Israel is reported to have 200 nuclear bombs

Nuclear Weapons: Who Has What at a Glance | Arms Control Association

Nuclear Weapons: Who Has What at a Glance

At the dawn of the nuclear age, the United States hoped to maintain a monopoly on its new weapon, but the secrets for making nuclear weapons soon spread. Four years after the United States dropped atomic bombs on Japan in August 1945, the Soviet Union detonated its first nuclear device. The United Kingdom (1952), France (1960), and China (1964) followed. Seeking to prevent the nuclear weapon ranks from expanding further, the United States and other like-minded states negotiated the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) in 1968. In the decades since, several states have abandoned nuclear weapons programs, but others have defied the NPT. India, Israel, and Pakistan have never signed the treaty and possess nuclear arsenals. Iraq initiated a secret nuclear program under Saddam Hussein before the 1991 Persian Gulf War. North Korea announced its withdrawal from the NPT in January 2003 and has tested nuclear devices since that time. Iran and Libya have pursued secret nuclear activities in violation of the treaty’s terms, and Syria is suspected of doing the same. Still, nuclear nonproliferation successes outnumber failures and dire forecasts decades ago that the world would be home to dozens of states armed with nuclear weapons have not come to pass.


Nuclear-Weapon States:

The nuclear-weapon states (NWS) are the five states—China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, and the United States—officially recognized as possessing nuclear weapons by the NPT. Although the treaty legitimizes these states’ nuclear arsenals, it also establishes that they are not supposed to build and maintain such weapons in perpetuity. Article VI of the treaty holds that each state-party is to “pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament.” In 2000, the five NWS committed themselves to an “unequivocal undertaking…to accomplish the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals.” But for now, the five continue to retain the bulk of their nuclear forces. Because of the secretive nature with which most governments treat information about their nuclear arsenals, the figures below are best estimates of each nuclear-weapon state’s nuclear holdings, including both strategic warheads and lower-yield devices referred to as tactical weapons:

China: 100-200 warheads.
France: Approximately 350 strategic warheads.
Russia: 2,787 strategic warheads[1], approximately 2,000 operational tactical warheads, and approximately 8,000 stockpiled strategic and tactical warheads.
United Kingdom: Less than 160 deployed strategic warheads.
United States: 2,126 strategic warheads[1], approximately 500 operational tactical weapons, and approximately 6,700 reserve strategic and tactical warheads.


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Defacto Nuclear-Weapon States:

Three states—India, Israel, and Pakistan—never joined the NPT and are known to possess nuclear weapons. Claiming its nuclear program was for peaceful purposes, India first tested a nuclear explosive device in 1974. That test spurred Pakistan to ramp up work on its secret nuclear weapons program. India and Pakistan both publicly demonstrated their nuclear weapon capabilities with a round of tit-for-tat nuclear tests in May 1998. Israel has not publicly conducted a nuclear test, does not admit to or deny having nuclear weapons, and states it will not be the first to introduce nuclear weapons in the Middle East. Nevertheless, Israel is universally believed to possess nuclear arms. The following arsenal estimates are based on the amount of fissile material—highly enriched uranium and plutonium—that each of the states is estimated to have produced. Fissile material is the key element for making nuclear weapons. India and Israel are believed to use plutonium in their weapons, while Pakistan is thought to use highly enriched uranium.

India: Up to 100 nuclear warheads.
Israel: Between 75 to 200 nuclear warheads.
Pakistan: Between 70 to 90 nuclear warheads.


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States of Immediate Proliferation Concern:

Iran is pursuing an uranium enrichment program and other projects that could provide it with the capability to produce bomb-grade fissile material and develop nuclear weapons within the next several years. In contrast, North Korea has the material to produce a small number of nuclear weapons, announced its withdrawal from the NPT, and tested nuclear devices. Uncertainty persists about how many additional nuclear devices North Korea has assembled beyond those it has tested. In September 2005, Pyongyang “committed to abandoning all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs.”

Iran: No known weapons or sufficient fissile material stockpiles to build weapons. However, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the institution charged with verifying that states are not illicitly building nuclear weapons, concluded in 2003 that Iran had undertaken covert nuclear activities to establish the capacity to indigenously produce fissile material. The IAEA is continuing its investigation and monitoring of Tehran’s nuclear program.

North Korea: Has separated enough plutonium for up to 12 nuclear warheads.

Syria: In September 2007, Israel conducted an airstrike on what U.S. officials have alleged was the construction site of a nuclear research reactor similar to North Korea’s Yongbyon reactor. Intelligence officials briefed members of congress on the airstrike eight months later in April 2008, discussing the evidence leading to their judgment that the site was an undeclared nuclear reactor. While the extent of Syrian-North Korean nuclear cooperation is unclear, it is believed to have begun in 1997. Subsequent IAEA investigations into the U.S. claims uncovered traces of undeclared man-made uranium particles at both the site of the destroyed facility and Syria’s declared research reactor. Syria has failed to provide adequate cooperation to the IAEA in order to clarify the nature of the destroyed facility and procurement efforts that could be related to a nuclear program.




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States That Had Nuclear Weapons or Nuclear Weapons Programs at One Time:

Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine inherited nuclear weapons following the Soviet Union’s 1991 collapse, but returned them to Russia and joined the NPT as non-nuclear-weapon states. South Africa secretly developed and dismantled a small number of nuclear warheads and also joined the NPT in 1991. Iraq had an active nuclear weapons program prior to the 1991 Persian Gulf War, but was forced to verifiably dismantle it under the supervision of UN inspectors. The U.S.-led March 2003 invasion of Iraq and subsequent capture of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein definitively ended his regime’s pursuit of nuclear weapons. Libya voluntarily renounced its secret nuclear weapons efforts in December 2003. Argentina, Brazil, South Korea, and Taiwan also shelved nuclear weapons programs.

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

very concerning article

 

[MZUBAIR]

May be Iran also have.

 

[Kompromat]

Maybe , but if israel attacked them , that certainly will give them excuse to make one!

 

[applesauce]

Maybe , but if israel attacked them , that certainly will give them excuse to make one!

if israel attacked them, they wouldnt have a chance to build one

 

[FreekiN]

if israel attacked them, they wouldnt have a chance to build one

too bad they already are

 

[Kompromat]

if israel attacked them, they wouldnt have a chance to build one

Mark my words , Israel will never Attack Iran!
BTW i have heard someone saying that they already have few dirty bombs

 

[Kompromat]

too bad they already are

Maybe , they better do , against the hostilities of the Zionism.

 

[VelocuR]

self delete

 

[Kompromat]

Hmm, what a boring article. It doesn't do anything better in this greedy world. There is no solution at the end.

I predict 2050, the article will say 50,000 Nukes !!!

Yes it is scary and that is why i have posted it!

Who knows Buddy how many Nukes would be in 2050 and how many Nations would be there on face of the earth to keep them

 

[FreekiN]

They should bomb the moon, atleast it'll be fun and no one gets hurt.

 

[Chanakyaa]

May be Iran also have.

They have the capability to build, but dont have a real bomb as of now.

 

[Kompromat]

They should bomb the moon, atleast it'll be fun and no one gets hurt.

For God sake Freekin , how would people tell their gf's that they are beautiful like Moon ( chanda)

 

[FreekiN]

For God sake Freekin , how would people tell their gf's that they are beautiful like Moon ( chanda)

'You're explosively beautiful!'