Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Yearbook 2021

In News

The number of nuclear warheads which are ready and deployed to fire have increased globally. 

About

• Swedish think-tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released its “Yearbook 2021”, which assesses the current state of armaments, disarmament and international security. 
• Russia and the US together possess over 90 per cent of global nuclear weapons. 
• Both have extensive programmes under way to modernise their nuclear warheads, missile and aircraft delivery systems and production facilities.
• China is in the middle of a significant modernisation and expansion of its nuclear weapon inventory.
• India and Pakistan also appear to be expanding their nuclear arsenals.

Key Findings of the Report

• The world has nine declared nuclear-armed states — 
  • the US, 
  • Russia, 
  • the UK, 
  • France, 
  • China, 
  • India, 
  • Pakistan, 
  • Israel and 
  • North Korea 
• These countries together possess an estimated 13,080 nuclear weapons at the start of 2021. 
• This marked a decrease from the 13,400 that SIPRI estimated these states possessed at the beginning of 2020.
• Despite this overall decrease, the estimated number of nuclear weapons currently deployed with operational forces increased to 3,825 from 3,720 last year.
  • Around 2,000 of these — nearly all of which belonged to Russia or the USA — were kept in a state of high operational alert. 
  • The UK and France are the other two who have deployed warheads. 
  • China, India and Pakistan are not listed in the report as having “deployed” such weapons with operational forces.
• India possessed an estimated 156 nuclear warheads at the start of 2021 compared to 150 at the start of last year.
• Pakistan had 165 warheads, up from 160 in 2020. 
• China’s nuclear arsenal consisted of 350 warheads up from 320 at the start of 2020.
• The raw material for nuclear weapons is fissile material, either highly enriched uranium (HEU) or separated plutonium. 
  • India and Israel have produced mainly plutonium,
  • Pakistan has produced mainly HEU but is increasing its ability to produce plutonium
  • China, France, Russia, the UK and the US have produced both HEU and plutonium for use in their nuclear weapons
• Saudi Arabia, India, Egypt, Australia and China were the five largest importers of major arms in the world between 2016 and 2020.
• Saudi Arabia had 11 percent share and India 9.5 percent in the global imports of the major arms in this time period

Image Courtesy: SIPRI Yearbook 2021

Global Efforts to Promote Nuclear Disarmament

• Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
  • The NPT is a landmark international treaty which was opened for signature in 1968, 
  • The Treaty entered into force in 1970. 
  • On 11 May 1995, the Treaty was extended indefinitely.  
  • A total of 191 States have joined the Treaty, including the five nuclear-weapon States. 
  • Objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament. 
  • The Treaty represents the only binding commitment in a multilateral treaty to the goal of disarmament by the nuclear-weapon States. 
  • More countries have ratified the NPT than any other arms limitation and disarmament agreement, a testament to the Treaty’s significance.
  • The Treaty is regarded as the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime and an essential foundation for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament. 
  • To further the goal of non-proliferation and as a confidence-building measure between States parties, the Treaty establishes a safeguards system under the responsibility of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). 
  • Safeguards are used to verify compliance with the Treaty through inspections conducted by the IAEA. 
  • India hasn’t signed the NPT.

• Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT)
  • It is a multilateral treaty that bans all nuclear tests, for both civilian and military purposes, in all environments. 
  • It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 September 1996, but has not entered into force, as eight specific nations  including the United States and China have not ratified the treaty.
  • Widely considered to be a milestone towards nuclear disarmament, the CTBT would prohibit all nuclear testing.

• New START
  • It is a treaty between the United States of America and the Russian Federation on measures for the further reduction and limitation of strategic offensive arms.
  • The term ‘strategic offensive arms’ applies to nuclear warheads deployed by Strategic Nuclear Delivery Vehicles (‘SNDVs’).
  • SNDVs are Inter Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM) with a range exceeding 5,500 kilometres, strategic bombers, warships (including strategic submarines) and cruise missiles, including air and sea-launched cruise missiles.
  • Enforced in 2011
  • It was scheduled to end in Feb 2021 if not renewed.
  • The United States and the Russian Federation agreed to extend the treaty for 5 more years through February 4, 2026.
  • It enhances U.S. national security by placing verifiable limits on all Russian deployed intercontinental-range nuclear weapons. 

Way Forward

• As a complement to controlling arms, international security can be improved by states acting to build mutual confidence. 
• This can be through relatively simple multilateral mechanisms for sharing information on arms procurement or military expenditure. 
• The existing arrangements are in urgent need of revitalization as participation is low and there is a gap in communication among leading countries.

Sources: TH