Global Spending on Nuclear Weapons Reaches Record Level

Growing Concern over Artificial Intelligence

Last year, moreover, more warheads were moved from storage onto delivery systems, according to the figures. "We are facing a new nuclear arms race," ICAN warned. The development is extremely alarming. "To be quite honest: I am terrified," report co-author Susi Snyder told the news agency AFP.

This development and the general rise in spending is paired with the fear that artificial intelligence could increase the risk of nuclear weapons being used, report co-author Susi Snyder told the news agency AFP. Snyder pointed to the increasing integration of autonomous systems into the nuclear command structures of several states. ICAN is calling on governments to halt ongoing modernization programs and to invest again in effective arms control.

ICAN placed the figures in direct comparison to humanitarian needs. By calculation, the investments of a single day could ensure that two million people no longer have to worry about their next meal. The spending of 2025 could have covered the regular United Nations budget for 32 years.

Contrast with Humanitarian Needs

Just yesterday, the Stockholm peace research institute Sipri had warned of the growing significance of nuclear weapons in international security policy. States are increasingly using nuclear weapons as instruments of national power politics, thereby reversing decades of efforts to reduce the number and role of nuclear weapons.

The nuclear powers are considered to be the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, France, India, Israel, Pakistan, and North Korea. ICAN was the driving force behind the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. It received the Nobel Peace Prize for this in 2017. However, the treaty has so far not been signed by any of the nine states mentioned here.

Background: The Role of ICAN

ICAN is calling on the international community to understand the rising spending as a warning sign and to work toward a return to disarmament and diplomatic détente. Otherwise, the organization sees a dangerous escalation looming, which could be further accelerated by the use of new technologies.

The study comes at a phase in which several nuclear powers are modernizing their arsenals and introducing new delivery systems. Observers see the figures as an indication that nuclear deterrence policy is once again assuming a higher priority in national security strategies. The coming months are considered decisive for whether new arms control negotiations will be initiated.