Counting up the nukes

last updated 8 January 2015

In a break from past U.S. policy, the Obama administration disclosed the size of the U.S. nuclear arsenal—5,113 weapons, plus “several thousand” more waiting to be dismantled. That’s an 84 percent reduction from the peak of 31,255 weapons, in 1967. The White House said the move demonstrates the U.S. commitment to reducing nuclear stockpiles.

Some intelligence officials criticized the disclosure, arguing that the figures might help terrorists calculate the minimum amount of nuclear fuel needed for a weapon. But administration officials noted that several websites have already revealed that the average weapon contains around 8.8 pounds of plutonium.