The United States disclosed the current size of its nuclear arsenal for the first time today: 5,113 warheads operationally deployed, kept in active reserve and held in inactive storage.
This number does not include an estimated 4,600 warheads that have been retired and scheduled for dismantlement.
While operationally deployed strategic warheads have been previously disclosed — 1,968 at the end of 2009 — an overall number has never been reported.
The U.S. nuclear arsenal has been reduced by 84 percent from its maximum level of 31,225 warheads at the end of fiscal year 1967.
