U.S. Nuclear Weapons Stockpile, 1945-2009*
* – Includes active and inactive warheads. Several thousand additional nuclear warheads are retired and awaiting dismantlement. |
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 nonproliferation 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.
U.S. Nuclear Weapons Stockpile, 1945-2009*
* – Includes active and inactive warheads. Several thousand additional nuclear warheads are retired and awaiting dismantlement. |
Stockpile Numbers - End of Fiscal Years 1962-2009Data prior to 1962 released by Department of Energy in December 1993 |
|
|
1962 |
25,540 |
|
1963 |
28,133 |
|
1964 |
29,463 |
|
1965 |
31,139 |
|
1966 |
31,175 |
|
1967 |
31,255 |
|
1968 |
29,561 |
|
1969 |
27,552 |
|
1970 |
26,008 |
|
1971 |
25,830 |
|
1972 |
26,516 |
|
1973 |
27,835 |
|
1974 |
28,537 |
|
1975 |
27,519 |
|
1976 |
25,914 |
|
1977 |
25,542 |
|
1978 |
24,418 |
|
1979 |
24,138 |
|
1980 |
24,104 |
|
1981 |
23,208 |
|
1982 |
22,886 |
|
1983 |
23,305 |
|
1984 |
23,459 |
|
1985 |
23,368 |
|
1986 |
23,317 |
|
1987 |
23,575 |
|
1988 |
23,205 |
|
1989 |
22,217 |
|
1990 |
21,392 |
|
1991 |
19,008 |
|
1992 |
13,708 |
|
1993 |
11,511 |
|
1994 |
10,979 |
|
1995 |
10,904 |
|
1996 |
11,011 |
|
1997 |
10,903 |
|
1998 |
10,732 |
|
1999 |
10,685 |
|
2000 |
10,577 |
|
2001 |
10,526 |
|
2002 |
10,457 |
|
2003 |
10,027 |
|
2004 |
8,570 |
|
2005 |
8,360 |
|
2006 |
7,853 |
|
2007 |
5,709 |
|
2008 |
5,273 |
|
2009 |
5,113 |
|
* Does not include weapons retired and awaiting dismantlement (several thousand as of Sept. 30, 2009) |
|
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.
