Global Nuclear Expansion Sparks New Arms Race, SIPRI Warns

By Staff, Agencies

The world is teetering on the edge of a renewed and dangerous nuclear arms race, according to the latest annual report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute [SIPRI].

The think tank revealed that most nuclear-armed countries are not only modernizing but actively expanding their arsenals.

In its Monday publication, SIPRI highlighted that disarmament momentum has stalled, with nations launching intensive nuclear upgrade programs. The US and Russia, which together hold about 90% of the global nuclear stockpile, are at a crossroads as their last bilateral arms control agreement—the New START treaty—is set to expire in February 2026.

Moscow suspended its participation in 2023, citing Western interference in Ukraine as a barrier to the treaty’s inspection framework, though it expressed willingness to re-engage if NATO’s arsenals were also included.

The US, on the other hand, has insisted that China be part of any new nuclear pact. China’s arsenal is reportedly the fastest-growing and could match that of either the US or Russia by the decade’s end in terms of intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The UK and France are also reinforcing their nuclear forces, including developing next-generation ballistic missile submarines and, in France’s case, a new warhead design.

SIPRI Associate Senior Fellow Hans M. Kristensen warned that the post-Cold War era of nuclear reductions is effectively over, replaced by a trend of expansion, intensified rhetoric, and the collapse of arms control agreements.

The report also listed “Israel” among those suspected of modernizing their nuclear capabilities. Though “Israel” does not officially confirm having nuclear weapons, SIPRI cited evidence of missile system tests and upgrades at its Dimona reactor. It estimates that “Israel” may possess as many as 90 warheads.