The Deadly Threat of Nuclear War
Following the sanctions made by western countries, Vladimir Putin has put his country’s nuclear forces on high alert. Many analysts argue that this does not mean he will use but this is a warning to other countries. Nuclear weapons are destructive, with their presence in a country, it deters any national security threat.
According to the Federation of American Scientists Russia currently holds 5,977 nuclear warheads. About 1,500 are known to be dismantled or retired. This is just an estimate based on intelligence information gathered. 1,185 warheads are loaded on intercontinental ballistic missiles. 800 are on submarine-launched missiles and 580 are air-launched nuclear bombers. The rest are loaded on short-range missiles that can be used in land combat.
There are only nine countries that have nuclear bombs. These are China, France, India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, the US, and the UK. Russia holds the highest number at 5,977. They are followed closely by NATO combining 5,428 from NATO, 290 from France, and 225 from the UK. China has 350, Pakistan has 165, India has 160, Israel has 90, and North Korea has 20.
NPT
Most of these countries signed a Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). In theory, they are committed to lowering their stockpile and eventually eliminating the use of the weapons.
No one has experienced the actual devastation of a nuclear weapon. The last bomb that was detonated was in Nagasaki and Hiroshima back in World War II. Both of them are atomic bombs, a lesser version of the nuclear warheads yet they kill tens of thousands.
Each nuclear weapon has its own capability to damage. It depends on the size of the warhead, the height of detonation, and the environment. A 100 kiloton weapon has a damage radius of up to 8 kilometers. 1.8 kilometers of the inner circle is subject to complete destruction.