Missiles are complex things. It’s literally rocket science.
They have never actually tried any “end-to-end”—actually pressing the button, and seeing that the warhead goes on to detonate where they intended it to.
Have you ever known anything more complex than a pair of scissors to work perfectly on the first try?
I’d be extremely surprised if all the US nukes work as per spec. And those have been kept in good repair. But, as above, never tried “end-to-end”.
I would be surprised if none of the Russian nukes work. Their maintenance has probably at least been inspected regularly.
Then again, it’s not like anyone expected to ever use them. So it’s not like anyone expected any bluffs to ever be called.
But the bottom line is, of course: I don’t want us to find out. It’s all for the best if we never know.
