From the article:
Of the world’s approximate 12,241 nuclear warheads, roughly 9,614 are in the military stockpiles for use by missiles, aircraft, ships and submarines.
…
In contrast to the overall inventory of nuclear weapons, the number of warheads in global military stockpiles – which comprises warheads assigned to operational forces – is increasing once again.
Here are the totals for each country:
| Country | Deployed Strategic | Deployed Nonstrategic | Reserve/Nondeployed | Military Stockpile(a) | Total Inventory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russia | 1,718 | 0 | 2,591 | 4,309 | 5,459 |
| United States | 1,670 | 100 | 1,930 | 3,700 | 5,177 |
| France | 280 | n.a. | 10 | 290 | 290 |
| China | 24 | n.a. | 576 | 600 | 600 |
| United Kingdom | 120 | n.a. | 105 | 225 | 225 |
| Israel | 0 | n.a. | 90 | 90 | 90 |
| Pakistan | 0 | n.a. | 170 | 170 | 170 |
| India | 0 | n.a. | 180 | 180 | 180 |
| North Korea | 0 | n.a. | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| Total(r) | ~3,812 | ~100 | ~5,702 | ~9,614 | ~12,241 |
Here’s how they each got them:
NPT-designated nuclear-weapon states
These are officially recognized under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
United States
- First country to develop nuclear weapons.
- Conducted first nuclear test: Trinity, July 16, 1945.
- First and only country to use nuclear weapons in war (Hiroshima and Nagasaki, August 1945).
- Developed under the Manhattan Project.
Russia (formerly the Soviet Union)
- Conducted first nuclear test: RDS-1 (“Joe-1”), August 29, 1949.
- Developed following intensive espionage and independent scientific research, initially catching up due to leaks from the Manhattan Project.
United Kingdom
- Conducted first nuclear test: Operation Hurricane, October 3, 1952.
- Developed independently but closely aligned technologically and politically with the United States.
France
- Conducted first nuclear test: Gerboise Bleue, February 13, 1960.
- Developed independently under the presidency of Charles de Gaulle, reflecting a strong emphasis on national strategic autonomy.
China
- Conducted first nuclear test: Project 596, October 16, 1964.
- Developed independently, initially with Soviet assistance, but completed independently after Sino-Soviet split.
Other states with confirmed nuclear weapons
India
- Conducted first nuclear test: Smiling Buddha, May 18, 1974 (officially called a “peaceful nuclear explosion”).
- Confirmed status as nuclear-armed state with a series of tests: Pokhran-II, May 11-13, 1998.
- Developed independently, motivated primarily by regional security concerns, particularly rivalry with China and later Pakistan.
Pakistan
- Conducted first nuclear test: Chagai-I, May 28, 1998, shortly after India’s 1998 tests.
- Developed independently under the guidance of scientist A.Q. Khan; development accelerated significantly following India’s 1974 test and subsequent Pakistani concerns about Indian military advantage.
North Korea
- Withdrew from NPT in 2003.
- Conducted first nuclear test: October 9, 2006.
- Developed primarily through domestic effort, with external assistance from illicit networks, notably A.Q. Khan’s nuclear proliferation network.
Other states presumed to have nuclear weapons
Israel
- Never officially acknowledged possession (“nuclear ambiguity” or “opacity”).
- Widely presumed to have developed nuclear weapons by late 1960s or early 1970s.
- Dimona nuclear reactor (built in collaboration with France in the 1950s and 1960s) was pivotal in its nuclear development.
NATO or CSTO member nuclear weapons sharing states
These countries host nuclear weapons provided by their alliance’s nuclear-armed member states (United States or Russia) and participate in NATO or CSTO nuclear strategy but don’t have sovereign control over the weapons.
NATO (nuclear sharing with the U.S.):
- Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Turkey
- Participate in NATO nuclear-sharing agreements, primarily hosting U.S. B61 nuclear bombs.
- Operationally, the weapons remain under U.S. custody; however, these countries provide delivery systems and infrastructure.
CSTO (nuclear sharing with Russia):
- Belarus
- Historically hosted Soviet nuclear weapons, removed post-Cold War (1990s).
- In recent developments (2023 onwards), Russia has redeployed tactical nuclear weapons to Belarusian territory due to current geopolitical tensions. Belarus, however, does not have independent control over these weapons, similar to NATO’s nuclear-sharing arrangement.
States formerly possessing nuclear weapons
- Developed independently, motivated by Cold War regional security concerns and isolation due to apartheid policies.
- Conducted nuclear program primarily in the 1970s-1980s; possibly possessed a small nuclear arsenal by late 1980s.
- Voluntarily dismantled nuclear arsenal (1989-1991) before joining the NPT in 1991, making it the first country to voluntarily abandon nuclear weapons it independently developed.
- Inherited nuclear weapons from the Soviet Union after its dissolution in 1991.
- Possessed world’s fourth-largest nuclear arsenal briefly.
- Voluntarily returned all weapons to Russia by mid-1990s and joined the NPT as a non-nuclear-weapon state.
- Similar to Kazakhstan, inherited nuclear weapons following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
- At one point, briefly became the third-largest nuclear arsenal globally.
- Voluntarily surrendered weapons to Russia under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum (security assurances from Russia, U.S., UK), and joined the NPT as a non-nuclear state.
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