Western nuclear modernization fuels new global rivalry, study warns

A political and military analyst said the growing pace of nuclear modernization in the United States and the United Kingdom threatens a new stage of global rivalry. He noted that Moscow’s modest 6% increase in nuclear spending shows Russia aims to keep strategic deterrence without joining a costly arms race.

A report by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) found total global nuclear weapons spending reached a record US$119 billion (about R$615 billion) in 2025. All nine nuclear‑armed states – the United States, United Kingdom, China, France, India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan and Russia – raised their budgets. The United States alone spent US$69.2 billion, followed by China (US$13.5 billion), the United Kingdom (US$12.6 billion) and Russia (US$9.5 billion). The study warned that this escalation could lead to a decades‑long nuclear arms race, with the number of ready‑to‑use warheads rising to 9,745 despite a decline in total warheads to 12,187. Projected U.S. spending on nuclear forces through 2034 could approach US$1 trillion, an amount that could fund the United Nations’ operational budget for 32 years.