Topic > US-Russia Nuclear Modernization: Possible Security Threat

Since World War II and the Cold War arms race, the United States and Russia have fought to become the world's nuclear “superpower.” The question of “arming” (continue testing, building, and deploying nuclear weapons) or “disarming” (reducing nuclear stockpiles) has been the subject of debate, often using the prisoner's dilemma as a model for the possible gains and losses of weaponization versus to the nuclear one. disarm a state. There are four possible options in the match between USA and Russia; they either arm or disarm, the United States arms and Russia disarms, or vice versa. Eventually, the model would reach a “steady state” or equilibrium position, where all other options except one would result in a reduced score for all (both) players. Unfortunately, past research has shown that the final decision, the only option to increase your score while in balance, is to arm yourself. If the political climate is such that game theory predicts that it is in the interests of both countries to arm themselves (since the associated scores in the game are based on the collected opinions of officials), the question arises of how these countries intend to pursue disarmament who speak publicly of support. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayCurrently, the United States has projected an investment of $1.2 trillion in the modernization of its nuclear forces over the next 30 years, with $772 billion earmarked for the “operation, sustainment, and modernization of weapons and delivery systems strategic nuclear weapons”, of which 129 billion dollars dedicated specifically to intercontinental ballistic missiles (both weapons and delivery systems). It is important to note that this data was released prior to the Trump administration, meaning there may be some variation in these numbers, however it is currently projected to represent approximately 6% of the total defense budget. Their current inventory consists of approximately 3,800 stored warheads, but if you also include the reserved and retired warheads (which will be dismantled in the 2020s), the estimated total is 6,185. Previously, the United States had made public the quantities of stockpiles and dismantled warheads, however this practice was recently blocked by the Department of Defense. Furthermore, although the United States currently complies with New START, it is believed that it will likely not be renewed in 2021. Similarly, Russia is also working to modernize its nuclear arsenal, however the numbers and specific plans are less public, and it is difficult to understand their intentions due to occasional nuclear threats and military exercises. Russia is estimated to have stockpiled approximately 4,490 warheads, with a further estimated 2,000 warheads awaiting dismantling, for an estimated total of 6,490. Currently, they are in the midst of a ten-year modernization program that aims to improve Soviet-era weapons, however, due to the lack of published numbers, most estimates come from satellite imagery. Furthermore, the motivation behind Russia's modernization of nuclear weapons is believed to be to maintain parity with the United States, meaning that although Russia currently complies with the New START limits, this may not continue if it is not renewed. However, due to financial problems, the Russians may have difficulty maintaining the arsenal they currently have, leading to the belief that it would not increase dramatically if START was not renewed. With obvious and deliberate investments/10.2968/066004008.