By Agence France-Presse June 16,
2020
STOCKHOLM: Nuclear powers continue to modernize their arsenals,
researchers said on Monday, warning that tensions were rising and the outlook
for arms control was “bleak.”
“The loss of key channels of communication
between Russia and the USA… could potentially lead to a new nuclear arms race,”
said Shannon Kile, director of the nuclear arms control program at the
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) and co-author of the
report.
Russia and the US account for more
than 90 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons.
Kile was referring to the future of
the New Start treaty between the US and Russia, which is set to expire in
February 2021.
It is the final nuclear deal still
in force between the two superpowers, aimed at maintaining their nuclear
arsenals below Cold War levels.
“Discussions to extend New Start or
to negotiate a new treaty made no progress in 2019,” the Sipri researchers
noted.
At the same time, nuclear powers
continue to modernize their weapons while China and India are increasing the
size of their arsenals.
“China is in the middle of a
significant modernization of its nuclear arsenal. It is developing a so-called
nuclear triad for the first time, made up of new land- and sea-based missiles
and nuclear-capable aircraft,” Sipri said.
The country has repeatedly rejected
Washington’s insistence that it join any future nuclear arms reduction talks.
Fewer nuclear arms
The number of nuclear warheads
declined in the past year.
At the start of 2020, the United
States, Russia, Britain, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea
together had 13,400 nuclear arms, according to Sipri’s estimates, 465 fewer
than at the start of 2019.
The decline was attributed mainly to
the United States and Russia.
While the future of the New Start
treaty remains uncertain, Washington and Moscow have continued to respect their
obligations under the accord.
“In 2019 the forces of both
countries remained below the limits specified by the treaty,” the report said.
But both nations “have extensive and
expensive programs under way to replace and modernize their nuclear warheads,
missile and aircraft delivery systems, and nuclear weapon production
facilities,” it added.
“Both countries have also given new
or expanded roles to nuclear weapons in their military plans and doctrines,
which marks a significant reversal of the post-Cold War trend towards the
gradual marginalisation of nuclear weapons.”
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation
of Nuclear Weapons, a cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation
regime, celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.
The number of nuclear arms worldwide
has declined since hitting a peak of almost 70,000 in the mid-1980s.
The five original nuclear powers —
Washington, Beijing, Moscow, Paris and London — in March reiterated their
commitment to the treaty.
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