Yes, nuclear weapons WILL be used. Here's why

The future use of nuclear weapons is inevitable.

How many nuclear weapons are there in the world? 14,995 according to the US Defense Intelligence Agency. Up to 60 of those could be in the hands of North Korea.

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) -- A new tally from the US Defense Intelligence Agency states there are 14,995 nuclear weapons is the world as of July 2017. North Korea holds about 60 of those weapons, which is at odds with a Swedish survey that also claimed in July the reclusive North only has 10-20 weapons.

It should come as no surprise to people that the world is awash in nuclear weapons, which are considered to be the ultimate, most powerful weapons on the planet. A single nuclear weapon can destroy an entire city in just seconds. And nuclear warheads can be fitted on long-range missiles that can deliver them to any point on Earth in under 30 minutes.

North Korea has been perfecting its rocket technology to deliver a nuclear weapon to the United States. Their goal is to threaten the U.S. into diminishing its alliance with South Korea and to deter the nation from invading its shores to effect regime change. Although there are no signs the U.S. intends to invade North Korea, the country isn't taking chances after seeing U.S. interventions across the Middle East.

While North Korea is developing their weapons, President Trump has ordered a $1 trillion modernization program for America's nuclear arsenal. Just what this entails is uncertain.

Russia still has the most nuclear weapons of any nation, at 7,000. The US has 6,800, and France is a distant third with 300. China is fourth with 270. Next comes the UK with 215, Pakistan with 140, India with 130, Israel with 80, and North Korea with 60.

Of these weapons, most are stored in some kind of facility. Only about 6,000 are deployed and ready for use on short notice. The vast majority of ready-to-use weapons are under U.S. or Russian control. As long as the U.S. and Russia do not start shooting at one another, the world is safe from full-scale nuclear annihilation.

But small scale nuclear wars, confined to regional conflicts still threatens billions of people. A nuclear war between India and Pakistan could easily result in hundreds of millions of casualties.

There's also the risk of a miscalculation, or a technical malfunction that results in an accidental launching of nuclear weapons.

Finally, there's the threat of political miscalculation, the escalation of tensions out of control, or the insanity of a madman who commands loyal officers that obey without question.

As long as nuclear weapons exist, there will be a temptation to use them. There will always be the risk of accident. Indeed, we have already used them twice in 1945.

War is destructive insanity, and we have always engaged in its pursuit. This is our fatal flaw. Unfortunately, we have industrialized killing and found novel ways to make it incredibly efficient. Sooner or later, nuclear weapons will be used again. The ancient Greek poet Homer predicted as much when he described human nature thus: "The sword itself incites to violence." When we have a weapon, we are naturally inclined to use it. We have never not used any technology for the purpose of war. We would be naive to assume nuclear weapons will be any different.