a9/ rhe united statcs, the sovict union, the united Kinfc:r.-:, rrancc an.r ch'na.{nc1ie ccnclucted a leaceful explosion in 19Tl+ d.encnstrating a caTebifitv toconstruct nucrear ve&pons. The Goverrurent of rndia rt"" "Epe"t.iiy "i"iea tn"trndia has no intention of conetructing nuclear weapons. rsrael and south Africahave denied unofficial reports that they have constructed nuclear weapons.Al 35 /392 Lnglish Annex Page i16 toalliancesystems,lrhichrelyonnuclearweaponsfortheirsecluityandvhich have nuclear weapons on their ioit ana train their troops in the deplo).l1ent and use of such *""p-orr", I,lith tine, the technical and economic obstacles to nuclear- weapon production are decreasing. It vill thus require a political vifl by the ,roar-.ro"1a"t weapon States to continue to abstain from these lleapcns ' At the same tirne, possession of nuclear weapons by a few States rqhich are nilitarily signiflcant gives currency to tle notion that $tates rrhich aspire to 6reat-Fover status need to acq-uire nuclear wearrons. 352, Preoccupation among the nuclear-lreapon States about vertical escalation cf their arsenaf has led to a situation in ;hich their capabilities of contributing to regional security have diminished. It is often argued in various lnternational forumsthatnuclearveaponsaretoday]-esscredibleevenforlilrited.seculity pr.lxposes. There are those vho observe that this situation is not totallir unrelated to the world'wide concern over horizontal nuclear proliferation' l!""f .* "."po"= *a "* 353. Tbe lrays in l'thich Governments define national security differ' The same can be said. about the refationship betveen national security and the role of nuclear veapons. The following sections wil} eonsider the super' Powers' other nuclear- weapon States, and non--nuclear'-1'eapon States, including those vith significant industxial and technological infrastructures' rhS_ "gt€LlSIg 35\. The two super"'Povers, the Soviet Union and the United States maintain the tlro largest nucl€ar"weapon arienals in the world' They also possess very large conventional armed forces and are strong econonic Fowers with a large population ' lar ge industrialized "";;"i;t, advanced-scient if ic and technological capability and significant natural resoui"t* ' FTom the point of view of their national security, however, each considers the main tbxeat to arise from the strategic nuclear-weapon systems of the other sulet--Poter ' It has been shovn in previous