An arms race can be defined as a series of escalating confrontations between two or more nations setting ever higher benchmarks for their arsenals in order to maintain a perceived strategic and military advantage. As each side seeks to gain a higher level of military superiority, they continually increase their own stockpile of weapons while simultaneously meeting or defeating the other’s advancements. This has led to a vast and increasing expenditure of labor, resources and capital in order to outpace one’s adversaries – a wasteful process that further augments global tensions and barriers to peace.

See also: nuclear weapon, nuclear power, nuclear exchange, nuclear fuel, nuclear bomb