Executive Overview: Jane's Strategic Weapons Systems

Nuclear war is unthinkable, as it could devastate the world. So why are there in excess of 25,000 nuclear warheads in the world today? We have nine nations with nuclear weapons, and perhaps more soon. The majority (around 95 per cent) of these warheads belong to the Russian Federation and the United States. In these two countries we find nuclear planners and nuclear disarmament advocates existing together in governments and organisations. How could we expect any President to make a life or death decision within 20 minutes or so, when we have two quite different factions providing advice, but which is right and which is wrong?

The role of nuclear weapons is described as 'to deter their use, or threatened use, by others'. If this really is the role and intent, then there could be a 'no first use' agreement between the nine nuclear powers. This would make it clear that any first use, for whatever reason, will be regarded by the United Nations (UN) as a criminal act, and will be dealt with by appropriate measures. Such an agreement needs to be verifiable, and monitoring could be provided by the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) sensors and laboratories being located around the world. This first step would amount to the prohibition of use, and if successful, could then be followed by gradual and phased elimination. All nuclear warheads would need to be declared, including tactical weapons, those in store, in reserve, and components.