How US Nuclear Weapons Compare to Russia and China After New Missile Tests

The United States, Russia and China—the top three nuclear-armed powers—have all test-fired their intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs, over the past year as the arms race among them looms, challenging global strategic balance and stability.

The most recent ICBM test, conducted by the U.S. on Wednesday with the launch of an unarmed Minuteman III missile , aimed to evaluate the weapon system's reliability, readiness and accuracy, according to the U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command.

Newsweek has contacted the Russian and Chinese foreign ministries for comment via email.

Why It Matters

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimated that the nine nuclear-armed states—the U.S., Russia, China, the United Kingdom, France, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea—po