stockpile. StiI.I, as long as nuclear veapons exist, there voul-d. be pressures for changes in the stockpiles that may require nuclear-weapon testing. 92" Fronx the discussion above ? one may conclud,e that a comprehensive test ban woutd. make rnore d.ifficult the continued d.evelopment of sophisticated weapons vithin the established. nuclear powers and thus have an inhibiting effect on the arns race. A comprehensive test bsn wou.1d slso have va.1ue in preventing horizontaf proliferat ion: it wou1d, in particular, reinforce the political connitnent to non-proliferat ion und.ertaken by States Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Pro1i ferat ion of Nuclear Weapons. It nay be technicalty possible for many States to develop unsophisticated fission veapons a,tld- to have some confidence in their rel-iability, vithout carrying out a test. It is unl-ikel-y, however, that States r^rould ldsh to commit their national security for any length of time to nuclear-\^reapon systems that are untested.. Development of advanced systems such as thermo-nucl-ean weapons or systems w:ith strict uilitary specifications vould be, accord.ing to accepted engineering connon sense, very uncertain if testing was not rossible" Part of the test-ban discussion has focused on lowerins the present^/35/392English Annex rafie 4u threshold of 150 kt., vhich iloes not seem to have had any strong attenuatinginfluence on the technological aleveLopment of nuc].ear veapons. D. General coments on lreapon systems 93" Any noalern veapon system consists of several" naJor components in ad.d.ition to the lrarhead.. Such components are the vehiele (..g. " nissile) vhich carries the varhead to the target i the pJ-atforn (e,9. a subnarine or a siJ.o) fron t'hich the vehicle is launched; the coDnand, control and coDmunications equipnent by which the systen is activated o and, in sone cases, directed; and. the particular means of intelligence that give the signaJ. for its activation. A-l-1 or some of these
**Analysis**
This text appears to be a discussion about the development and proliferation of nuclear weapons, focusing on the potential benefits and challenges of a comprehensive test ban. The language used is technical and refers to specific aspects of nuclear weapons, such as testing, design, and development. The text also touches on the international implications of a test ban, including its potential to prevent horizontal proliferation.

**Category**
Science and technology, International trade