Major powers renew ICBM tests amid growing global nuclear tensions

The United States, Russia, and China—the world’s three largest nuclear powers—have each conducted intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests over the past year, signaling intensifying competition in nuclear capabilities and raising concerns about global strategic stability.

The most recent I.S. launch took place on November 5, when the US  Air Force Global Strike Command conducted an unarmed Minuteman III test to assess the missile system’s "reliability, readiness and accuracy." Such tests, according to the Air Force, are routine and intended to demonstrate the credibility of America’s nuclear deterrent, Newsweek's analysis says. 

Expanding nuclear \rsenals

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the world’s nine nuclear-armed nations—the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, France, India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea—collectively possess an estimated 12,241 nuclear warheads. Of these, 9,614 are held in military stockpiles for potential operational use, and 3,912 are currently deployed.

Data from the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) indicates that the United States maintains around 3,700 warheads, Russia about 4,309, and China approximately 600. These warheads are deliverable by various platforms, including aircraft and ballistic missiles.

ICBM deployment, strategic posture

In terms of ICBM deployment, Newsweek reports that the US has 400 active missiles, Russia 333, and China 462. While Russia and China operate multiple types of ICBMs, the United States relies exclusively on the Minuteman III, first deployed in 1970.

All three powers maintain a nuclear triad—a combination of land-based ICBMs, submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and nuclear-capable bombers. This triad structure ensures second-strike capability, a central component of nuclear deterrence.

US, Russian, and Chinese tests

The US Air Force has conducted multiple Minuteman III launches in 2025, including on February 19 and May 21, as part of ongoing verification of the missile system’s performance and reliability. These tests are characterised by the Pentagon as essential for ensuring a “safe, secure, reliable and effective” nuclear deterrent.

Russia conducted its most recent strategic nuclear exercise on October 22, overseen by President Vladimir Putin. The exercise involved the launch of a Yars ICBM, a Sineva SLBM, and cruise missiles from strategic bombers.

According to the Kremlin, the Yars missile was launched from Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northwestern Russia and successfully struck its target at the Kura Missile Test Range on the Kamchatka Peninsula. Moscow stated that the exercise was designed to test the readiness of its nuclear command structure.

China conducted its first ICBM test in decades in September 2024, when a DF-31AG missile carrying a dummy warhead was launched toward international waters in the South Pacific—a region designated as a nuclear-free zone. The Chinese Defense Ministry described the test as "a legitimate and routine arrangement" for military training, asserting that Beijing maintains "a very stable, consistent and predictable" nuclear policy based on self-defense and a no-first-use doctrine.

These ICBM activities reflect a broader resurgence in global nuclear competition. Russia has tested the Poseidon, a nuclear-powered, nuclear-armed torpedo often described as a "doomsday device," while US President Donald Trump has reportedly instructed the military to begin immediate nuclear weapons testing to counter adversaries. China, meanwhile, continues to modernise and expand its strategic missile forces as part of its long-term military modernisation program.

By Sabina Mammadli