Nuclear Technology hasn’t been around for more than a century and massive problems have already risen from this knowledge. The use of this technology to make weapons, capable of annihilating vast areas, effect millions of people, small communities, and large cites alike, have led to a fear of what might happen if someday one of these weapons got into the hands of a foe. There are many rouge nations and countries that don’t like us and with nuclear power in hand, could prove fatal. Nuclear Proliferation will have catastrophic consequences.
Nuclear Technology was developed in the 1940’s as a means of energy. Not until 2 years later did scientists realize that. There are 3 main types of nuclear weapons, the atomic bomb, the hydrogen bomb, and the suitcase bomb. (Rhodes) The atomic bomb is in the hands of 8 nations and in reach of 20 more. This particular bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. The hydrogen bomb is held by a number of nations with nuclear powers. It was first tested by the U.S. in 1952 and by the soviets in 1953. The suit case bomb is a great deal smaller than either of the first two, which makes this popular among terrorists. It is capable of being accurately targeted and delivered by boat, truck, or suitcase so it’s extremely concealable. As of 2004, Russia has the most (estimated) number of warheads of any country with 16,000 followed by the U.S. with 10,250. China has 400, France has 350, The U.K. and Israel both have 200 and Pakistan, India, and North Korea both hold less than 50 warheads. The most common delivery system is a preset trajectory system, ballistic missile. (Laurence 16) Ballistic missiles can also be deployed by submarines, which are difficult to detect. (Laurence 20)
