Jun 11, 3:07 PM EDT

*Report: Risk of Nuclear Warfare Rising*

By KARL RITTER
Associated Press Writer
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STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) -- The world's top military powers are gradually
dismantling their stockpiles of nuclear arms, but all are developing new
missiles and warheads with smaller yields that could increase the risk
of atomic warfare, a Swedish research institute said Monday.

In its annual report on military forces around the globe, the Stockholm
International Peace Research Institute also said the rising number of
nations with nuclear weapons is raising the risk such arms could be used.

"The concern is that countries are starting to see these weapons as
useable, whereas during the Cold War they were seen as a deterrent,"
said Ian Anthony, a nuclear expert at the institute.

SIPRI for the first time counted North Korea among the world's nuclear
countries, because of its underground test explosion of an atomic device
last October. While saying it remains unclear whether the communist
country has developed a deliverable nuclear weapon, the institute
estimated North Korea could have produced about six nuclear bombs, based
on its stockpiles of plutonium.

Iran is a potential member of the nuclear club if it decides to turn its
uranium enrichment program to military use, Anthony said - something the
U.S. and its allies suspect is the Tehran regime's plan but Iranian
leaders deny.

"Iran could appear on this list, but at the earliest five years from
now," Anthony said.

The U.S., Russia, China, France, Britain, Pakistan and India are known
to have nuclear weapons, while Israel is thought by most experts to have
them.

The report estimated those nations had 11,530 warheads available for
delivery by missile or aircraft at the start of 2007, with Russia and
the United States accounting for more than 90 percent - 5,614 in Russia
and 5,045 in the U.S.

Both countries are reducing their stockpiles as part of bilateral
treaties, but are developing new weapons as they modernize their forces.
Britain, France and China also plan to deploy new nuclear weapons, the
institute said.

India, Pakistan and Israel each have dozens of warheads, but their
stockpiles are believed to be only partly deployed, the institute said.

"India and Pakistan are both thought to be expanding their nuclear
strike capabilities, while Israel seems to be waiting to see how the
situation in Iran develops," it said.

The United States remained the world's biggest military spender last
year, devoting about $529 billion to its military forces while China
overtook Japan as Asia's top arms spender, the report said.

U.S. military spending grew from $505 billion in 2005 mainly because of
the "costly military operations" in Iraq and Afghanistan, SIPRI said.
"This massive increase in U.S. military spending has been one of the
factors contributing to the deterioration of the U.S. economy since
2001," it said.

The U.S. was followed by Britain and France in military spending, while
China's expenditures reached nearly $50 billion, making it the fourth
biggest arms spender in the world, SIPRI said. Japan was fifth at $43.7
billion.

Russia, which spent $34.7 billion on arms, has used its energy wealth to
revive national pride, to restore its influence "in surrounding
countries and to maximize its geopolitical power," SIPRI said.

All the numbers were figured in 2005 dollars.

International arms sales have grown since 2002, with China and India
being the biggest importers and the U.S. and Russia the two major
exporters, the report said.

Five Middle Eastern countries were among the top 10 importers of weapons.

"While much media attention was given to arms deliveries to Iran, mainly
from Russia, deliveries from the USA and European countries to Israel,
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were significantly larger,"
the report said.

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Associated Press writer Louise Nordstrom contributed to this report.

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On the Net:

SIPRI: http://www.sipri.org