Nuclear arsenals

Nine countries together possess around 15,000 nuclear weapons. The

United States and Russia maintain roughly 1,800 of their nuclear weapons
on high-alert status ready to be launched within minutes of a warning.
Most are many times more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on
Japan in 1945. A single nuclear warhead, if detonated on a large city, could
kill millions of people, with the effects persisting for decades.

The failure of the nuclear powers to disarm has heightened the risk that
other countries will acquire nuclear weapons. The only guarantee against
the spread and use of nuclear weapons is to eliminate them without delay.
Although the leaders of some nuclear-armed nations have expressed their
vision for a nuclear-weapon-free world, they have failed to develop any
detailed plans to eliminate their arsenals and are modernizing them.

How many nuclear weapons are there in the world?

NUCLEAR
COUNTRY SIZE OF ARSENAL
PROGRAMME
The first country to develop
nuclear weapons and the
only country to have used
United States 6,800 warheads
them in war. It spends more
on its nuclear arsenal than
all other countries combined.
The second country to
develop nuclear weapons. It
has the largest arsenal of any
Russia country and is investing 7,000 warheads
heavily in the modernization
of its warheads and delivery
systems.
It maintains a fleet of four
nuclear-armed submarines in
Scotland, each carrying 16
United Kingdom 215 warheads
Trident missiles. Its
parliament voted in 2016 to
overhaul its nuclear forces.
Most of its nuclear warheads
France 300 warheads
are deployed on submarines
 equipped with M45 and M51
missiles. One boat is on
patrol at all times. Some
warheads are also
deliverable by aircraft.
It has a much smaller arsenal
than the US and Russia. Its
warheads are deliverable by
China 270 warheads
air, land and sea. It appears
to be increasing the size of
its arsenal at a slow pace.
It developed nuclear
weapons in breach of non-
proliferation commitments.
India It is increasing the size of its 110120 warheads
nuclear arsenal and
enhancing its delivery
capabilities.
It is making substantial
improvements to its nuclear
arsenal and associated
Pakistan infrastructure. It has 120-130 warheads
increased the size of its
nuclear arsenal in recent
years.
It has a policy of ambiguity
in relation to its nuclear
arsenal, neither confirming
Israel nor denying its existence. As 80 warheads
a result, there is little public
information or debate about
it.
It has a fledgling nuclear
weapons programme. Its
arsenal probably comprises
North Korea <10 warheads
fewer than 10 warheads. It is
not clear whether it has the
capability to deliver them.
Total 14,900 warheads
Source: Federation of American Scientists 2017

Nations with nuclear weapons United States, Russia, Britain, France,

China, Israel, India, Pakistan, North Korea
Nations hosting nuclear weapons Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands,
Turkey
Nations in nuclear alliances Albania, Australia, Bulgaria, Canada,
Croatia, Czech, Denmark, Estonia, Greece,
Hungary, Iceland, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal,
Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea,
Spain (plus the five host nations)

Qu pasara si hay una guerra

entre EU y Corea del Norte?
El doctor Epifanio Cruz Zaragoza, investigador del Instituto de
Ciencias Nucleares de la UNAM, recalc los peligros para el
medio ambiente y para varias naciones
18/08/2017 16:49 UNAM GLOBAL
Pster de propaganda en Corea del Norte en contra de EU y pases hostiles. (Foto:
Reuters)
CIUDAD DE MXICO.
Un arma nuclear tiene la capacidad de acabar no slo con una ciudad
completa, sino tambin contaminar ros, lagos, el medio ambiente, llegar a
la atmsfera, y en casos extremos, bloquear los rayos del sol y matar
lentamente a todos los seres vivos, seal el doctor Epifanio Cruz
Zaragoza, investigador del Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares.
De hecho, existen varios tipos, pero de las ms temidas son las bombas
atmicas mezcladas con hidrgeno, las de hidrgeno o termonucleares
pueden llegar hasta 50 megatones o ms (50 millones de toneladas de
TNT), adems tienen el poder de arrasar hasta tres ciudades.
Desafortunadamente, existen varios pases que han dedicado sus esfuerzos
a crear este tipo de armamento. Un caso es Corea del Norte, que desde
hace aproximadamente 50 aos ha desarrollado diversos prototipos y desde
1990 ha probado una serie de misiles.
Sumado a dicha situacin, en das pasados, el presidente de Estados
Unidos Donald Trump, se sinti amenazado con las pruebas de misiles tipo
intercontinentales realizadas por este pas, y respondi que si el rgimen de
Kim Jung-un no quiere encontrarse con un nivel de fuego y furia indita en
la historia mundial, se abstuviera de realizar pruebas de armamento nuclear.
En el caso extremo de empezar una guerra entre ambas naciones, la
situacin internacional sera muy difcil, donde finalmente terminaran
involucrados otros pases. La guerra es la guerra y aunque existen
tratados, stos se quedan obsoletos de un segundo a otro, enfatiz Cruz
Zaragoza.
En un ataques con misiles a Corea del Norte, en su trayectoria podran
atravesar parte de China, y seguramente este pas estara en contra de que
estas armas vuelen sobre su territorio, lo mismo pasara con Rusia.
No obstante, Corea del Norte tiene los misiles llamados hwasong-12 y
hwasong-14, que se presumen son de largo alcance (mayor a 5 mil km de
distancia) que incluso podran transportar ojivas nucleares. Situacin
preocupante porque Denver, Colorado o Chicago, estn a menos de 10,400
kilmetros de distancia.
As, puede surgir una situacin muy complicada, donde Rusia y Estados
Unidos poseen alrededor de casi 14 mil ojivas nucleares, y si a esto le
sumamos el armamento que posee China, Reino Unido, Francia, India,
Pakistn e Israel nos da un nmero impresionante de 15 mil ojivas.
Igualmente, debemos recordar que despus de la cada del muro de Berln
y de la Unin Sovitica, la milicia rusa anunci que haban extraviado 400
ojivas nucleares.
En consecuencia, deberamos temer que algunas naciones posean armas
nucleares pero no lo sabemos a ciencia cierta, salvo las estadsticas que
siempre se hacen de manera oficial ante organismos como la Organizacin
de las Naciones Unidas.
En ese contexto, Rusia posee alrededor de 63 submarinos de ataque,
adems de tres aviones bombarderos, al igual que Estados Unidos y otras
potencias nucleares, como Francia, Inglaterra, India, Pakistn, Israel e
Irn.
NO APOSTAR A LA GUERRA
En el caso extremo de una guerra atmica existen varios inconvenientes
con el armamento. Por ejemplo, los misiles podran fallar su trayectoria por
varias razones, entre ellas, el movimiento de rotacin de la Tierra, formacin
de huracanes, factores atmosfricos adversos y el mismo control automtico
del misil.
En consecuencia, tendramos un ataque en un blanco equivocado y de esta
forma se arrastrara a otras naciones a un conflicto atmico en donde nadie
resultara vencedor.
En ese sentido, Mxico o Canad podran verse afectados, porque adems
de recibir la contaminacin nuclear que pudiera llegar desde Estados
Unidos, tambin podran ser un blanco errado.
Por todo lo anterior, no debemos apostar a un medio nuclear, al desarrollo
de nuevas bombas y menos a un conflicto blico. Al contrario, debemos
destruir las armas. Recordemos que no slo existen las nucleares, sino
tambin las qumicas y las biolgicas, expres el experto.

Supreme leader: Kim Jong-un

Kim Jong-un is the third supreme leader in the Kim dynasty, founded by his grandfather Kim il-
Sung, the country's leader at the time of its establishment.

Kim Jong-un took over from his father Kim Jong-il when he died from a heart attack in December
2011.

Under Kim Jong-un, North Korea has continued its policy of promoting the military at home while
sending mixed signals to the rest of the world about its nuclear programme.

TIMELINE
Some key dates in North Korea's history:
1945 - Japan's colonial rule over Korea ends with its Second World War surrender.
1948 - Korea is divided between the Soviet-backed North and the US-backed
South.
1950-1953 - Korean War.
1994 - Founding President Kim Il-sung dies, succeeded by his son Kim Jong-il.
2002 - US names North Korea as part of an "axis of evil" in a stand-off between the
West and North Korea which lasts for decades.

Nuclear tensions
Seoul's "sunshine policy" towards the North aimed to encourage change through
dialogue and aid, but was dealt a blow in 2002 by Pyongyang's decision to
reactivate a nuclear reactor and to expel international inspectors.

In October 2006 North Korea said it had successfully tested a nuclear weapon,
spreading alarm throughout the region.
Intensive diplomatic efforts were mounted to rein in North Korea's nuclear
ambitions, finally yielding in 2007 under which Pyongyang agreed to shut down its
main nuclear reactor in return for aid and diplomatic concessions.

But negotiations stalled as North Korea accused its negotiating partners - the US,
South Korea, Japan, China and Russia - of failing to meet agreed obligations.

Tensions with the rest of the world grew steadily again, especially after the new
South Korean president, Lee Myung-bak, ended his predecessor's "sunshine
policy".

In April 2009 North Korea walked out of international talks aimed at ending its
nuclear activities, and carried out its second underground nuclear test the following
month.