Nuclear Notebook: How many nuclear weapons are there in the world? As of mid-2014, the authors estimate that there are approximately 16,300 nuclear weapons located at some 98 sites in 14 countries. Roughly 10,000 of these weapons are in military arsenals; the remaining weapons are retired and awaiting dismantlement. Approximately 4,000 are operationally available, and … Continued

Nuclear Notebook: Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Every five years the parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) gather in New York to review progress and challenges related to the treaty. Every time, the five nuclear weapons states and permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, their non-nuclear allies, and the non-aligned non-nuclear countries that … Continued

Nuclear Notebook: B61 nuclear bomb upgrade and history The Obama administration has approved an upgrade to the B61 nuclear bomb that will, through use of a new tail kit assembly, become a guided standoff nuclear bomb. If the upgrade—the 12th modification of the original B61 design—is pursued as planned, the US Air Force will obtain … Continued

Nuclear Notebook: How many nuclear weapons does Russia have? Since our last Russian Notebook in early 2013, Russia has taken several important steps in modernizing its strategic and nonstrategic nuclear forces. These include continued development and deployment of new intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), construction of ballistic missile submarines, development of a new strategic bomber, and … Continued

Nuclear Notebook: How many nuclear bombs does the US have? The US Defense Department maintains a stockpile of an estimated 4,650 nuclear warheads for delivery by more than 800 ballistic missiles and aircraft. The stockpile did not decline significantly over the last year, but has shrunk by roughly 460 warheads compared with May 2010, when … Continued

Nuclear Notebook: How many nuclear bombs does China have? China has a nuclear weapons modernization program under way that involves upgrading its nuclear-capable land-, sea-, and air-based delivery vehicles. The size of the nuclear arsenal is increasing, though at a slow rate. We estimate that China has approximately 250 warheads in its stockpile for delivery … Continued

Nuclear Notebook: How many nuclear weapons exist on earth? The authors calculate that some 125,000 nuclear warheads have been built since 1945, about 97 percent of them by the United States and the Soviet Union and Russia. The nine nations with nuclear weapons now possess more than 10,000 nuclear warheads in their military stockpiles, the … Continued

Nuclear Notebook: How many nuclear weapons does Britain have? Recent research has revealed new facts about the British nuclear arsenal over a 25-year period starting in 1953. This accounting and the authors’ own research support an estimate that the British produced about 1,250 nuclear warheads between 1953 and 2013. From a peak of about 500 … Continued

Nuclear Notebook: How many nuclear weapons does Russia have? Russia is in the middle of a comprehensive modernization of its nuclear forces that began more than a decade ago. The upgrade, which involves replacing all Soviet-era ballistic missiles with fewer improved missiles, is now approaching a point at which the number of modern weapons will … Continued

Nuclear Notebook: How many nuclear weapons does the United States have? The US Defense Department maintains a stockpile of an estimated 4,650 nuclear warheads for delivery by more than 800 ballistic missiles and aircraft. Compared with last year, that is a reduction of approximately 260 warheads due to the retirement of W80-0 warheads for the … Continued

Nuclear Notebook: How many nuclear weapons the countries India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, and South Africa have? Over the past decade, a number of governments around the world have begun to declassify more information on their nuclear weapons programs—Brazil, India, China, and South Africa, to name a few. Though this progress is patchy, and could … Continued

Nuclear Notebook: How many nuclear weapons were operational during the Cuban Missile Crisis? There is little argument that October 1962—the Cuban Missile Crisis—marked the closest the world has come to nuclear war. Today, 50 years later, volumes have been written about the crisis. Even so, in the tens of thousands of pages that interpret and … Continued

Nuclear Notebook: How many nonstrategic nuclear weapons do Russia, the United States, France, Pakistan, and China have? After two decades of neglect, nonstrategic nuclear weapons are receiving new attention, with the United States and NATO seeking an agreement with Russia on reducing inventories and increasing transparency. At the same time, newer nuclear weapon states are … Continued

Nuclear Notebook: How many nuclear weapons does India have? India’s drive to develop a nuclear triad proceeds apace, with New Delhi developing or deploying several weapon systems to realize its goal of achieving offensive nuclear forces on land, at sea, and in the air. India took a significant step forward with the successful test-launch of … Continued

Nuclear Notebook: How many nuclear weapons does the US have? Though the size of the US nuclear stockpile has changed little over the past year, the arsenal continues to evolve under influences that include President Barack Obama!s vision of nuclear disarmament and US obligations under the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START). Since the … Continued

Nuclear Notebook: How many nuclear bombs does Russia have? At any given time, several of Russia’s nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) are in overhaul and do not carry their allocated missiles and warheads; likewise, under normal conditions, bombers are not loaded with nuclear weapons. Therefore, of Russia’s approximately 2,430 strategic offensive nuclear warheads, we estimate … Continued

Nuclear Notebook: Nuclear weapons history In this article, we highlight the key milestones and facts regarding the nuclear pursuits of the first five states to develop nuclear weapons—the United States, the Soviet Union and Russia, Britain, France, and China. Though we are in the seventh decade of the nuclear age, the discipline of nuclear history … Continued

Nuclear Notebook: How many nuclear warheads does China have? In a new defense white paper published earlier this year, China reiterated its long-held nuclear policies of maintaining a minimum deterrent with a no-first-use pledge and shunning any nuclear arms race (PRC, 2011). Yet Beijing has never defined, in quantitative or qualitative terms, what it means … Continued

Nuclear Notebook: How many nuclear weapons does the UK have? Of all the nuclear weapon states, the United Kingdom has moved the furthest toward establishing a minimum nuclear deterrent, announcing its plans last year to reduce its total stockpile to no more than 180 warheads over the next 15 years. Though it is considering replacing … Continued

Nuclear Notebook: How many nuclear weapons does Pakistan have? Despite its political instability, Pakistan continues to steadily expand its nuclear capabilities and competencies; in fact, it has the world’s fastest-growing nuclear stockpile. In the aftermath of the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden, who had made his hideout in an Islamabad suburb, concerns about … Continued