US Nuclear Warhead Stockpile Hits Record Low...Down to 3,750 Units

Over 30,000 During the Cold War... Decreased by 55 Compared to Last Year
Unprecedented Disclosure of Stockpile... A Prelude to Nuclear Arms Reduction Agreement with Russia

[Image source=Federation of American Scientists (FAS)]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The U.S. Department of State has disclosed that the number of nuclear warheads possessed by the United States has reached an all-time low of 3,750. Since 2018, the U.S. government had not revealed the number of nuclear warheads, but with the resumption of nuclear arms reduction talks with Russia, it is interpreted that the U.S. unusually disclosed the warhead count to expedite swift negotiations.

On the 5th (local time), the U.S. Department of State announced that as of the 30th of last month, the number of U.S. nuclear warheads stood at 3,750, marking a historic low. This represents a decrease of 55 warheads compared to last year and 72 fewer than in 2017, the Department stated. The number of U.S. nuclear warheads peaked at 31,255 in 1967 during the height of the Cold War and has steadily declined following a trend of nuclear disarmament.

The U.S. government had not publicly disclosed the total number of warheads since March 2018, when the Trump administration last revealed the 2017 figures. Since former President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from nuclear arms control treaties such as the Iran nuclear deal, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), and the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), the principle of non-disclosure of warhead counts had been maintained.

However, following the inauguration of the Joe Biden administration and the resumption of negotiations to extend the New START treaty with Russia, the U.S. government has resumed disclosing warhead numbers. This is interpreted as a strategic move to gain an advantageous position in nuclear arms reduction talks with Russia and to expedite Russia’s nuclear disarmament. The New START agreement, signed in 2010 between the U.S. and Russia, aimed to reduce deployed nuclear warheads to below 1,550, but the U.S. unilaterally withdrew from it during the Trump administration.

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