Arms Race

Definition

An arms race is a competitive buildup of military capabilities between two or more states, driven by mutual distrust, security dilemmas, and the perception that falling behind in military technology or numbers creates vulnerability. Arms races can involve nuclear weapons, conventional forces, missile defense systems, cyber capabilities, or emerging technologies like hypersonic weapons and autonomous systems. The Cold War nuclear arms race between the US and Soviet Union produced tens of thousands of warheads. Arms races increase the risk of conflict through miscalculation, drain economic resources, and can destabilize regional or global security architectures.