Anti-nuclear group warns of increasing number of active nuclear warheads

NAGASAKI–An anti-nuclear institute reported that although the total number of nuclear warheads has decreased over the past year, the number of active warheads has increased.

The Nagasaki University Research Center for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons (RECNA) announced on June 5 that the estimated number of nuclear warheads held by the nine nuclear nations stood at 12,120, including those removed. of service or those requiring dismantling.

The number of deployed warheads and those stored but ready for deployment stands at 9,583, an increase of 3.6% over the past six years.

RECNA has changed the number of existing warheads that are prominently displayed on a poster it publishes each year to that of active warheads for the 2024 version.

RECNA estimated the number of nuclear warheads held by each country as of June 1, based on materials disclosed by each nuclear country.

As for the United States, which had 5,044, and Russia, with 5,580, this number decreased compared to last year.

However, this number increased in three countries: China, 500, India, 170 and North Korea, 50.

Analyzing the figures, RECNA said that although the total number of nuclear warheads is decreasing, they are being replaced by new ones of better quality, thus becoming “more usable nuclear weapons.”

“Under the guise of modernization, the real situation is that nuclear nations are strengthening their nuclear arsenals,” said Keiko Nakamura, associate professor at Nagasaki University.