*The US is also said to have some 3,000 warheads in reserve, while Russia has about 11,000 in non-operational stockpiles
Posted on 02/11/2005 4:00:42 PM PST by Tailgunner Joe
Five nations are officially recognised as possessing nuclear weapons by the 1968 nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
These are the US, the first to acquire nuclear capability in 1945, Russia (1949), the UK (1952), France (1960) and China (1964).
As information about nuclear arsenals is secret, there are only estimates about their nuclear weapons.
The Arms Control Association (ACA), a US weapons research organisation, estimates the number of strategic warheads held by these states to be about 6,000 for the US, 5,000 for Russia, 300 for China, 350 for France and under 200 for the UK.
The NPT, which has 187 signatories, was created to prevent other countries from acquiring nuclear capability, to promote cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to work towards nuclear disarmament.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was set up to verify compliance to the treaty through inspections, making sure that nuclear material or activities were not being used for military purposes.
Three states - India, Israel and Pakistan - never joined the treaty and are known to possess nuclear weapons.
Claiming its nuclear program was for peaceful purposes, India first tested a nuclear explosive device in 1974.
India and Pakistan both demonstrated their nuclear weapons muscle with a round of tit-for-tat tests in May 1998.
While Israel has not publicly conducted a nuclear test and does not admit or deny having nuclear weapons, it is widely believed to possess nuclear arms.
The ACA estimates India to have between 45 and 95 nuclear warheads, Pakistan, 30 and 50, and Israel, 75 and 200.
Iran is generally perceived to be secretly pursuing a nuclear arms program although it maintains its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
Nuclear muscle
The EU is engaged in negotiations with Tehran to urge it to suspend its nuclear activities while the US has stated that it will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons.
North Korea, which this week announced it was pulling out of multi-lateral talks on its nuclear activities, is believed by the CIA to have one or two nuclear weapons.
The ACA says Pyongyang also has sufficient spent nuclear fuel that could be reprocessed into fissile material for as many as six nuclear bombs.
With the availability of foreign expertise, the CIA has raised concerns that Syria, which is an NPT member, could be trying to covertly acquire nuclear bombs.
One of the most recent successes in non-proliferation was in 2003 when Libya renounced its secret efforts to acquire nuclear capability.
*The US is also said to have some 3,000 warheads in reserve, while Russia has about 11,000 in non-operational stockpiles
I've got one. Pretty big, too.
For all anybody knows Korea has nothing more than leftovers from the WWII Japanese atom bomb project that took place mostly in Korea.
Although they were building gigantic aircraft carrying submarines as well as jet planes to mount a direct invasion on the American mainland, they didn't succeed in building a working trigger.
That part of their program blew up at Harbin about a month before our first successful test at Alamagordo, NM.
No trigger means no bomb, and our guys are acting like they know exactly what Korea has and can't set off.
How about a chart showing overall "explosive yield". I would bet many of the warheads posessed by US and Russia are pretty 'small'.
Interesting information. I appreciate your posting this.
NOTE: the first flash movie entitled "The End of the World" is very well done, and puts the tense situation in a humorous light.
NOTE2: the flash movie is the first one at the top of the list. It takes a few moments to load. Turn the speakers up and hit "Play"
Of course North Korea has the same color on this map as Israel
Lots of countries not labeled "potential nuclear power" which could be at the drop of a hat, if they wanted to... most notably Japan. But really, what could stop, say, Norway from going nuclear?
Official response as taught byt he Navy: I can neither confirm nor deny the presence of nuclear weapons aboard my ship/duty station.
Whoa! Those "Missile History" websites are something to behold!
Me too!....but, at 70 years-of-age, half-life deterioration has taken it's toll.
Not much really, but they would have to violate the NPT treatey; helps to have an already established nuke power industry, though.
Taiwan, South Korea, etc.....these countries could have nukes at a drop of the hat.
LOL! That's got to be one of the best articles I've ever read. My ten year old just read it to. He's going to the dump tomorrow....
Make that 14 Ohios minus 4 as the first four subs are being converted to carry out Tomahawk strikes & covert missions(SSGN conversion).
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