The Nuclear Question: Unraveling Afghanistan's Past And Present Arsenal

Afghanistan does not possess any nuclear weapons. However, the country has been at the centre of nuclear proliferation concerns, particularly due to its proximity to nuclear-armed states such as Pakistan and India. The possibility of nuclear weapons falling into the hands of terrorist organisations in Afghanistan has been a source of worry for experts.

Afghanistan's neighbouring countries with nuclear weapons

Afghanistan does not possess any nuclear weapons. It has not signed or ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). However, Afghanistan has promoted universal adherence to the TPNW and voted in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution that established the formal mandate for states to negotiate a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons.

Another country in Afghanistan's vicinity with nuclear capabilities is China. As of February 2024, China had an estimated inventory of approximately 500 warheads. China is a recognised nuclear-weapon state under the NPT.

The number of nuclear weapons in the world

Afghanistan does not possess any nuclear weapons. However, the world's nuclear powers have more than 12,000 nuclear warheads, with approximately 12,500 nuclear warheads worldwide as of January 2023. The United States and Russia together constitute around 90% of the total.

The number of nuclear weapons worldwide has decreased since the Cold War, but the same two countries still possess the majority of them. The destructive potential of first-strike nuclear warheads peaked at more than 15,000 Mt in the early 1980s, which is equivalent to over a million Hiroshima bombs.

Nine countries currently have nuclear weapons: Russia, the United States, China, France, and the United Kingdom, as well as Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea. The United States, Russia, and China also possess smaller numbers of non-strategic (or tactical) nuclear warheads, which are shorter-range, lower-yield weapons that are not subject to any treaty limits.

The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council—the United States, Russia, China, France, and the United Kingdom—are authorized by the 1970 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) to possess nuclear weapons. Three additional states—North Korea, India, and Pakistan—have conducted nuclear testing without signing the NPT.

Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons but does not acknowledge it, maintaining a policy of deliberate ambiguity. Israel is estimated to possess somewhere between 75 and 400 nuclear warheads.

The dangers posed by nuclear weapons have led to various international efforts to limit their proliferation and achieve disarmament. The United Nations has been working towards eliminating nuclear weapons since its establishment, and several multilateral treaties have been established to prevent nuclear proliferation and promote disarmament, such as the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Regional Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones (NWFZ) have also been established to strengthen global nuclear non-proliferation and consolidate efforts towards peace and security.

The types of nuclear weapons

Nuclear weapons are categorized into two broad groups: fission bombs and thermonuclear bombs. Fission bombs, also known as atomic bombs, rely solely on nuclear fission reactions to generate their explosive power. Thermonuclear bombs, also known as hydrogen bombs, combine fission and fusion reactions, resulting in a much larger destructive power. Here is a more detailed overview of the types of nuclear weapons:

Fission Weapons

Also known as atomic bombs, these weapons rely solely on nuclear fission reactions to generate their explosive power. There are two main types of fission weapons:

• Pure Fission Weapons: These are the simplest type of nuclear weapon and the only type used in warfare so far. They work by splitting atoms of uranium or plutonium, releasing a large amount of energy. The "Little Boy" bomb dropped on Hiroshima during World War II was a pure fission weapon.
• Boosted Fission Weapons: These weapons achieve double the destructive power of pure fission by adding a small amount of fusion fuel to enhance the reaction. They are more efficient and require less fissile material than pure fission bombs.

Staged Thermonuclear Weapons

Thermonuclear weapons, or hydrogen bombs, use fission reactions to initiate and enhance fusion reactions, resulting in a much larger destructive power. They are considered much more difficult to design and execute than fission weapons. Here are the main types of thermonuclear weapons:

• Two-Stage Thermonuclear Weapons: This is the most common type of thermonuclear weapon, also known as the Teller-Ulam design. It consists of a fission "primary" and a fusion "secondary" stage. The energy from the fission explosion compresses and heats the fusion fuel, triggering a much larger fusion reaction. This design allows for arbitrarily large yields and is used in most modern nuclear weapons.
• Three-Stage Thermonuclear Weapons: The Tsar Bomba, the most powerful nuclear weapon ever tested, was a three-stage weapon. It had a fission primary, a fusion secondary, and a final fission stage to utilize unreacted fusion fuel and enhance the overall yield.

Tactical Nuclear Weapons

These are designed for specific purposes beyond outright destruction, such as tactical battlefield use or anti-submarine warfare. Examples include neutron bombs, nuclear depth charges, and nuclear artillery shells. They are typically smaller and have more specialized delivery systems than strategic nuclear weapons.

Countries that have successfully detonated nuclear weapons

Afghanistan does not possess any nuclear weapons.

Eight countries have publicly announced successful detonations of nuclear weapons. Five are considered to be nuclear-weapon states (NWS) under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). These are the United States, Russia (as the successor of the former Soviet Union), the United Kingdom, France, and China. The other three states that possess nuclear weapons are India, Pakistan, and North Korea. These three states did not sign the NPT and have conducted overt nuclear tests.

Israel is also widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, but the country maintains a policy of deliberate ambiguity and does not acknowledge having them.

Countries that possess nuclear weapons but haven't publicly announced it

Afghanistan does not possess any nuclear weapons. However, there are nine countries that do possess nuclear weapons. These are the United States, Russia, France, China, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea.

Of these nine countries, five are considered to be nuclear-weapon states (NWS) under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). These five states are the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and China. The remaining four countries possess nuclear weapons but have not signed the NPT. These are India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel.

Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons but does not acknowledge it, maintaining a policy of deliberate ambiguity. It is estimated that Israel possesses somewhere between 75 and 400 nuclear warheads.

In addition to the nine countries that possess nuclear weapons, a handful of European countries host foreign-owned nuclear weapons within their territory. These countries are Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey, which host U.S. nuclear weapons, and Belarus, which hosts Russian nuclear weapons.

Frequently asked questions