7am Trump’s nuclear arms race
Nov 5, 2025
Brendan Taylor, a Professor of Strategic Studies at the Australian National University and contributor to Australian Foreign Affairs, delves into the implications of Trump's directive to resume nuclear testing. He highlights the sophisticated advancements in Russian and Chinese arsenals, including nuclear-powered missiles and hypersonic delivery systems. Taylor discusses potential regional proliferation, especially regarding Japan and South Korea, and warns of the risks of an arms race affecting Australia, examining whether the country might someday consider its own nuclear options.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Rapid Growth Of China's Arsenal
- China's nuclear arsenal has rapidly expanded from a few hundred warheads to roughly 700 today.
- The Pentagon projects it could reach about 1,000 by 2030 and possibly 1,500 by 2035.
US And Russia Still Dominate
- The US and Russia hold the largest nuclear arsenals with roughly 1,700 deployed each and thousands in storage.
- Russia likely still has a slightly larger total stockpile than the United States.
Global Nuclear Landscape
- Six other states are known or believed nuclear-armed: UK, France, India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea.
- Their arsenals are much smaller, typically in the low hundreds or fewer warheads.