May 3, 2010

Fact Sheet
Increasing Transparency in the U.S. Nuclear Weapons Stockpile
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 stockpiles 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*

35000

Max Warheads: 31,255

W a r h ea d s

30000
25000

Cuban Missile Crisis

Dissolution of Warsaw Pact

USSR Disbands

20000
15000
10000
5000
0

F i s ca l Y ea rs
*Includes active and inactive warheads. Several thousand additional nuclear warheads are retired and awaiting dismantlement.

StockpileNumbersEndofFiscalYears19622009
Datapriorto1962releasedbyDepartmentofEnergyinDecember1993
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985

25,540
28,133
29,463
31,139
31,175
31,255
29,561
27,552
26,008
25,830
26,516
27,835
28,537
27,519
25,914
25,542
24,418
24,138
24,104
23,208
22,886
23,305
23,459
23,368

1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009

23,317
23,575
23,205
22,217
21,392
19,008
13,708
11,511
10,979
10,904
11,011
10,903
10,732
10,685
10,577
10,526
10,457
10,027
8,570
8,360
7,853
5,709
5,273
5,113

*Doesnotincludeweaponsretiredandawaitingdismantlement(severalthousandasofSept.30,2009)

DepartmentofEnergyWarheadDismantlements
(FiscalYear19942009)
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009

1,369
1,393
1,064
498
1,062
206
158
144
344
222
206
280
253
545
648
356

Definitions
*The nuclear stockpile includes both active and inactive warheads. Active warheads include strategic and nonstrategic 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.