Monday, May 3, 2010

Increasing Transparency in the U.S. Nuclear Weapons Stockpile

Increasing Transparency in the U.S. Nuclear Weapons Stockpile
May 3, 2010

The United States is releasing newly declassified information on the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile. Increasing the transparency of global nuclear stockpiles is important to non- proliferation efforts, and to pursuing follow-on reductions after the ratification and entry into force of the New START Treaty that cover all nuclear weapons: deployed and non-deployed, strategic and non-strategic.
Stockpile. As of September 30, 2009, the U.S. stockpile of nuclear weapons consisted of 5,113 warheads. This number represents an 84 percent reduction from the stockpile’s maximum (31,255) at the end of fiscal year 1967, and over a 75 percent reduction from its level (22,217) when the Berlin Wall fell in late 1989. The below figure shows the U.S. nuclear stockpile from 1945 through September 30, 2009.

Warhead Dismantlement. From fiscal years 1994 through 2009, the United States dismantled 8,748 nuclear warheads. Several thousand additional nuclear weapons are currently retired and awaiting dismantlement.

Non-Strategic Nuclear Weapons. The number of U.S. non-strategic nuclear weapons declined by approximately 90 percent from September 30, 1991 to September 30, 2009.

Stockpile Numbers - End of Fiscal Years 1962-2009
Data prior to 1962 released by Department of Energy in December 1993

1962􏰀 25,540 1986 23,317􏰀
1963􏰀 28,133 1987 23,575􏰀
1964􏰀 29,463 1988 23,205􏰀
1965􏰀 31,139 1989 22,217􏰀
1966􏰀 31,175 1990 21,392􏰀
1967􏰀 31,255 1991 19,008􏰀
1968􏰀 29,561 1992 13,708􏰀
1969􏰀 27,552 1993 11,511􏰀
1970􏰀 26,008 1994 10,979􏰀
1971􏰀 25,830 1995 10,904􏰀
1972􏰀 26,516 1996 11,011􏰀
1973􏰀 27,835 1997 10,903􏰀
1974􏰀 28,537 1998 10,732􏰀
1975􏰀 27,519 1999 10,685􏰀
1976􏰀 25,914 2000 10,577􏰀
1977􏰀 25,542 2001 10,526􏰀
1978􏰀 24,418 2002 10,457􏰀
1979􏰀 24,138 2003 10,027􏰀
1980􏰀 24,104 2004 8,570􏰀
1981􏰀 23,208 2005 8,360􏰀
1982􏰀 22,886 2006 7,853􏰀
1983􏰀 23,305 2007 5,709􏰀
1984􏰀 23,459 2008 5,273􏰀
1985􏰀 23,368 2009 5,113􏰀

* Does not include weapons retired and awaiting dismantlement (several thousand as of Sept. 30, 2009)

Department of Energy Warhead Dismantlements (Fiscal Year 1994-2009)
1994 1,369
1995 1,393
1996 1,064
1997 498
1998 1,062
1999 206
2000 158
2001 144
2002 344
2003 222
2004 206
2005 280
2006 253
2007 545
2008 648
2009 356
*The nuclear stockpile includes both active and inactive warheads. Active warheads include strategic and non- strategic weapons maintained in an operational, ready-for-use configuration, warheads that must be ready for possible deployment within a short timeframe, and logistics spares. They have tritium bottles and other Limited Life Components installed. Inactive warheads are maintained at a depot in a non-operational status, and have their tritium bottles removed.
*A retired warhead is removed from its delivery platform, is not functional, and is not considered part of the nuclear stockpile. It is put in the queue for dismantlement. *A dismantled warhead is a warhead that has been reduced to its component parts.

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