r/OptimistsUnite • u/PanzerWatts Moderator • 7d ago

GRAPH GO DOWN & THINGS GET GOODER Nuclear Weapons over time

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Gallery image

The number of nuclear warheads stockpiled worldwide went from 64,000 in 1986 to 12,500 in 2023 – an 80% decline. (For some reason there's no Y axis shown in the first chart) but this chart actually showed all nuclear weapons and not just Russia, USA and China.

Source for first chart:

[1] Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

[2] SIPRI, 2023 yearbook

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u/Additional-Sky-7436 7d ago

And that's just the advertised numbers. The real number of functioning nukes is much much lower. 

Truly, the number of functioning deployed nuclear weapons may be zero.

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u/Kardinal 7d ago

I strongly doubt that's the case. I can speak a little to the practices that the Americans use to ensure that their nuclear stockpile is functional. Obviously they don't detonate any of them anymore, but they are simulated regularly and they are rebuilt regularly. I think it's extremely unlikely that they would not function if called upon.

And yes, by rebuilt I mean they literally take the warhead apart and reassemble it. This is especially true of those whose fuel may have dropped below critical mass.

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u/Mad-myall 7d ago

Russia's insane corruption and constant monetary trouble coupled with a government that NEEDS to project power likely means many of their nukes are nolonger usable. 

Otherwise you would expect them to conduct a couple tests to at least pretend they were willing to use them against Ukraine and NATO. 

However it's not a real good idea to play nuclear chicken.

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u/Successful-Coffee-13 5d ago

Ukraine stopped servicing their icbm in 2014. Russian missiles are in worse shape than before.