WASHINGTON: China, India, and Pakistan all added 10 to 20 nuclear weapons to their arsenal last year even as the top four nuclear nations US, Russia, UK and France appear determined to retain their nuclear arsenals indefinitely even if they didn't add to their inventory, the Swedish arms watchdog SIPRI said in its 2013 handbook released this weekend.
SIPRI's world nuclear forces chart showed India bumping up its nuclear warheads from 80-100 in 2012 to 90-110 in 2013, keeping pace with Pakistan, which went from 90-110 weapons to 110-120 . China, in the meantime, went from 240 nuclear weapons in 2012 to 250 in 2013, while France and UK froze their arsenals at 300 and 225 weapons respectively, as did Israel at 80 weapons.
Russia and the US were the only countries reducing their inventories of strategic nuclear weapons under the terms of the Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (New START) as well as retiring aging and obsolescent weapons.
However, SIPRI said, the two nations, along with the three other nuclear powers France, Britain and China are either deploying new nuclear weapon delivery systems or have announced programmes to do so, and appear determined to retain their nuclear arsenals indefinitely.
As a result, although the total number of nuclear weapons in the world dropped from approximately 19,000 in 2012 to 17,265 in 2013, there was little to inspire hope that states are genuinely willing to give up their nuclear arsenals, the SIPRI report said.
"The long-term modernization programmes under way in these states suggest that nuclear weapons are still a marker of international status and power," said SIPRI senior researcher Shannon Kile.
With greater insecurities and fears of survival, Pakistan is long thought to possess more nukes than India, although suggestions that it has or will overtake the weapons count of Britain and France seem misplaced. India, on the other hand, appears to be ramping up its arsenal with China in its calculations since Pakistan's smaller land mass has few targets.
"With India we see the gradual expansion of its longer-range ballistic missile capabilities which are not really targeted at Pakistan but rather at China," Kile said.
With eye on China, India ramps up nuclear arsenal - The Economic Times
OMG, nuclear war! China is history!
SIPRI's world nuclear forces chart showed India bumping up its nuclear warheads from 80-100 in 2012 to 90-110 in 2013, keeping pace with Pakistan, which went from 90-110 weapons to 110-120 . China, in the meantime, went from 240 nuclear weapons in 2012 to 250 in 2013, while France and UK froze their arsenals at 300 and 225 weapons respectively, as did Israel at 80 weapons.
Russia and the US were the only countries reducing their inventories of strategic nuclear weapons under the terms of the Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (New START) as well as retiring aging and obsolescent weapons.
However, SIPRI said, the two nations, along with the three other nuclear powers France, Britain and China are either deploying new nuclear weapon delivery systems or have announced programmes to do so, and appear determined to retain their nuclear arsenals indefinitely.
As a result, although the total number of nuclear weapons in the world dropped from approximately 19,000 in 2012 to 17,265 in 2013, there was little to inspire hope that states are genuinely willing to give up their nuclear arsenals, the SIPRI report said.
"The long-term modernization programmes under way in these states suggest that nuclear weapons are still a marker of international status and power," said SIPRI senior researcher Shannon Kile.
With greater insecurities and fears of survival, Pakistan is long thought to possess more nukes than India, although suggestions that it has or will overtake the weapons count of Britain and France seem misplaced. India, on the other hand, appears to be ramping up its arsenal with China in its calculations since Pakistan's smaller land mass has few targets.
"With India we see the gradual expansion of its longer-range ballistic missile capabilities which are not really targeted at Pakistan but rather at China," Kile said.
With eye on China, India ramps up nuclear arsenal - The Economic Times
OMG, nuclear war! China is history!
I just missed that one in hurry! 
