With the ongoing fear of nuclear warfare between the United States and North Korea, the New York Times released a new report on which nations have the most powerful missile arsenal in the world. According to the CSIS Missile Defense Project, Russia, the United States, China, Britain and France are the most equipped nations in regard to missile range. Each of these nations could launch missiles to any location on Earth if they wanted to.
Associate Director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Ian Williams, told the New York Times that we’re entering a “missile renaissance.”
Israel, India, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, South Korea, Taiwan and North Korea have all opted to grow their military strength in recent years in response to deter regional tensions and are meant to deter any threats that are close to home. The report also reveals that “obsolete technologies” are used in building these weapons which could be a threat to the civilians of the country building out of date weaponry.
Since taking office, President Trump has gone back and forth with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un in regard to nuclear threats. The United States continues to place sanctions on North Korea as Kim Jong Un grows his military and nuclear arsenal.
In November, it was reported that North Korea has a missile capable of hitting the United States mainland – showing a vast improvement in missile capabilities that once were only a threat to Hawaii and the U.S. Territory of Guam.
Regardless, President Trump continues to launch insults and threats at the Korean dictator calling him “little rocket man” and threatening that “my button is bigger” referring to the nuclear weapons available at his will. Many have argued that Trump is risking the lives of others by issuing threats to the unhinged Kim Jong Un who according The New York Times report is capable of launching missiles more than 8,000 miles which would include almost half of the Earth.
With national leaders being at the helm of weapons operations, there is hope of diplomacy in that regard. But another issue with the growing military might worldwide is the threat of radical militias gaining control of the new heavy artillery. The New York Times cites a November ballistic missile attack from Yemen that reached the Saudi Arabia capital. President Trump claimed that the missile was shot out of the air by Saudi Arabia, but other reports say that the missile may have come apart on its own because of the speed it traveled. The target for the missile was the Riyadh airport, but the warhead reportedly landed nearby the airport.
