China Will Soon Surpass France as the World’s Third-Largest Nuclear Armed State Since 1987, the Bulletin’s Nuclear Notebook column has revealed surprise nuclear activity and spot-on arsenal estimates around the world. Researched and compiled by Hans M. Kristensen and Matt Korda of the Federation of American Scientists, the Nuclear Notebook is a critical resource for scholars, activists, and … Continued

Despite its political instability, Pakistan continues to steadily expand its nuclear capabilities and competencies; in fact, it has the world's fastest-growing nuclear stockpile. In the aftermath of the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden, who had made his hideout in an Islamabad suburb, concerns about the security of Pakistan's nuclear weapons are likely to keep pace with the growth of Pakistan's arsenal. Pakistan is building two new plutonium production reactors and a new reprocessing facility with which it will be able to fabricate more nuclear weapons fuel.

Nuclear Notebook: How many nuclear weapons are deployed worldwide? As of the end of 2009, we estimate that there are approximately 23,360 nuclear weapons located at some 111 sites in 14 countries. Nearly one-half of these weapons are active or operationally deployed. By far the largest concentrations of nuclear weapons reside in Russia and the … Continued

According to the latest Missile Defense Review, the United States will continue to enhance its four primary missile defense systems without “any limitation or constraint.” Doing so is likely to be destabilizing.

Special Issue: The global competition for AI dominance  The Bulletin’s May/June issue on the global competition for dominance in artificial intelligence (AI) is now available. Here’s a sneak peek at John Mecklin’s introduction. Also in this issue you’ll also find an interview with Greg Jaczko, former director of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and a brand-new Nuclear Notebook: United … Continued

The March/April issue is available! Polls make it clear that the American public as a whole, including a majority of Republicans, accepts the science of climate change. Still, congressional Republicans aren’t eager to agree. In the March magazine, the Bulletin talks with Republicans and conservative Christians who do support climate action about how they reconcile their politics with the scientific reality … Continued

What next for the US and North Korea? On Wednesday, President Trump will meet Kim Jong-un for a second summit, this time in Hanoi, Vietnam. Dive into nuclear policy and the Korean peninsula to learn what can and can’t be achieved in this round of negotiations, and what should be at the top of the … Continued

Read the January special issue while you can  The nuclear modernization craze has been on the minds and in the conversations of nuclear policy experts all over the world in recent weeks. As nonproliferation agreements like the INF Treaty are set aside, nuclear weapons states are not only modernizing existing systems, but building new ones … Continued

The January/February issue is available! A worldwide craze of nuclear modernization is proving costly and, in the view of some experts, constitutes a new and dangerous global nuclear arms race. An important new issue of the Bulletin‘s subscription magazine addresses topics critical to the 116th Congress: the astonishing complexities of the US modernization program, its influence on … Continued

A review of France's nuclear arsenal 2019: France's stockpile of approximately 300 nuclear warheads has remained stable in recent years, but significant modernizations are underway with regard to ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, submarines, aircraft, and the nuclear industrial complex.

The November/December issue is available! The extraordinarily fast-paced advance across the world’s scientific and technological enterprise constitutes a defining characteristic of the 21st century. In this issue of the Bulletin, leading experts explore how these quickly-changing technologies increasingly intersect with one another and, as they do, pose new types of global threats. SPECIAL ISSUE: Existential nexus: … Continued

India is estimated to have produced enough military plutonium for 150 to 200 nuclear warheads, but has likely produced only 130 to 140. Free-access.

The September/October issue is now available! Over the last year, North Korean nuclear weapons and missile testing have dominated the headlines, as has the precarious status of the Iran nuclear deal. Nuclear weapons are back in the minds of citizens everywhere, along with questions about how arms control and nonproliferation efforts are monitored. In our September/October … Continued

The authors estimate that the country’s stockpile could realistically grow to 220 to 250 warheads by 2025, if the current trend continues.

The July/August issue is now available! Driven by varying (mis)perceptions of the motives and capabilities of their adversaries, the United States, China, and Russia are pursuing their own versions of missile defenses. In this issue, we look at this expensive, ineffective, and potentially destabilizing international pursuit with the help of an extraordinary lineup of the … Continued

Nuclear Notebook: How many nuclear weapons does China have? China is continuing the nuclear weapons modernization program it initiated in the 1980s, fielding more types and greater numbers of nuclear weapons than before. Since our previous Nuclear Notebook on China in July 2016, the country has continued fielding a new version of an existing nuclear … Continued