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Rabat – The number of nuclear warheads around the world is set to increase over the next decade, according to a report released on Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Although the number has decreased since 2021, the institute says that was only because of nuclear powers retiring old nuclear devices.
As states like the US and Russia continue to modernize their nuclear arsenals, the number of warheads is expected to increase over the next decade.
The total number of warheads in 2022 is 12 705, with 9440 in military stockpiles for potential use.
Around 3732 of those are deployed with missiles and aircraft, and around 2000 –most of which are owned by the US– are kept on “high operational alert.”
SIPRI notes that nuclear powers have been sending mixed messages diplomatically. In 2021, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council issued a statement saying that a nuclear war “must never be fought.”
However, all five have continued to upgrade their arsenals and devise uses for nuclear weapons in military strategies.
As relations between some of the world’s nuclear powers continue to deteriorate, the proliferation of nuclear weapons poses worrying questions for global peace and stability.
Beyond the possibility of a nuclear war, Stefan Löfven, Chair of the SIPRI Governing Board, stresses that the world is facing common challenges such as climate change that require cooperation, and that these tensions come at a sensitive time.
Read also: Morocco’s Nuclear Expert: Transforming Africa is in our Hands
To further the goal of global nuclear disarmament, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons was signed in 1968 by almost every member of the UN.
While the treaty promotes using nuclear power for energy instead of militaristic purposes, SIPRI’s report says more efforts should be made to lessen the spread of nuclear weapons in the world.
To date, five states are not part of the treaty; these include India, Pakistan, Israel, South Sudan, and North Korea which withdrew in 2003.
