Updated August 2024 The land-based leg of the U.S. nuclear triad is currently composed of 400 deployed Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) based out of Malmstrom, Minot, and Warren Air Force bases in underground silos stretching across Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska and Colorado. Each ICBM carries one warhead — either the W87 or the […]
Fact Sheet: The Nuclear Triad
Updated May 12, 2025 The U.S. nuclear arsenal comprises thousands of nuclear weapons and three methods of delivery, sometimes called “legs.” Warheads can be launched from the air via strategic bombers carrying gravity bombs or cruise missiles, from the sea by submarines holding ballistic missiles, or from underground silos housing intercontinental ballistic missiles. Collectively, these […]
Conference Outcomes of the FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Act
Topline Funding Nuclear Weapons and Related Programs Columbia Class Strategic Submarine House: $4.33 billion, the requested amount Senate: $4.51 billion, an increase of $175 million Conference Outcome: $4.46 billion, an increase of $130 million B-21 Long-Range Strike Bomber House: $2.8 billion, the requested amount Senate: $2.8 billion, the requested amount Conference Outcome: $2.8 billion, the requested amount Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) House: $1.52 billion, the […]
White House Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2021 Nuclear Weapons Spending
Total Nuclear Weapons Spending in Fiscal Year 2021 Budget Request Total Spending $44.5 billion Department of Defense $28.9 billion Department of Energy $15.6 billion [Sources: Department of Defense: FY 2021 Budget Briefing; Department of Energy: FY 2021 Congressional Budget Request for the National Nuclear Security Administration, Volume 1] DoD Nuclear Weapons Funding Request for Selected Systems Allocated to: […]
Pakistan’s Nuclear Forces
Pakistan tested its first nuclear weapon in 1998, becoming the world’s 7th state to officially test a nuclear weapon. The exact yields of the weapons in the country’s current arsenal are not known, but general estimates are between 5-12 kilotons (kt) for most weapons, with some longer-range ballistic missiles possibly reaching 40 kt. Pakistan has […]
