Stockholm: The world is rapidly reversing decades of nuclear disarmament. According to the highly anticipated SIPRI Yearbook 2026, released yesterday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, states are increasingly relying on nuclear weapons as instruments of national power, pushing global escalation risks to their highest levels since the Cold War.
The newly published data reveals a stark reality: out of an estimated 12,187 nuclear warheads globally, roughly 9,745 are now sitting in active military stockpiles. More concerningly, over 4,000 of these warheads are currently deployed with missiles and aircraft, ready for potential use.
🔴 The Expiration of Arms Control
The surge in nuclear readiness is directly tied to the collapse of international treaties. The critical New START treaty between the United States and Russia officially expired in February 2026 with no follow-on agreement, eliminating transparency between the world’s two largest nuclear powers.
- China’s Massive Expansion: By early 2026, China successfully loaded hundreds of new missiles into three large silo fields in its northern region and is actively completing 30 more silos in the east, triggering alarms in Washington.
- The US Response: In direct response to China’s buildup, nuclear advocates in the United States are currently pushing to reactivate empty launchers and add new non-strategic nuclear weapons to the US arsenal.
- Europe Re-arms: French President Emmanuel Macron announced a deliberate increase in France’s nuclear warhead count, declaring that the government will no longer publicly disclose the exact size of its arsenal.
DuniKa Times Takeaway: The breakdown of nuclear diplomacy is complete. As major powers modernize their arsenals and deploy new intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs), global defense strategies are shifting away from deterrence and moving dangerously close to active warfighting postures.
