Part 6/17:
The proliferation timeline is intricate yet predictable once understood. The initial nuclear powers—US, Soviet Union, Britain, China, and France—set the stage in the mid-20th century. Subsequently, India tested its first nuclear weapon in 1974, followed by Israel, which is believed to have developed a clandestine capability in the late 1960s. Pakistan, driven by regional rivalries with India, tested in 1998, and North Korea's recent nuclear tests mark the last entries into the known club of nuclear states.
Shea explains delivery systems evolved from bombers to missiles—those launched by land, sea, or air—amplifying the destructive potential and complicating defense measures. The nuclear landscape continues to diversify as nations explore various means to project power globally.