Snapshot of the Strategic Missile and Bomber Force

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? The Air Force had 447 Minuteman III ICBMs on operational status in their silos, along with 10 B-2A stealth bombers and 77 B-52H bombers in deployed status as of Sept. 1, 2014, based on the counting rules used by the United States and Russia with the New START agreement, announced the State Department. There were an additional 251 Minuteman missiles, 19 silos, 10 B-2s, and 12 B-52s in non-deployed status, according to the State Department’s Jan. 1 release, which reflects that most recent biannual data exchange between the United States and Russia on each party’s strategic nuclear arsenal. Although the Air Force no longer operates the Peacekeeper ICBM, there are still 56 missiles of this type in non-deployed status, along with one launcher, that still count against the total number of strategic nuclear assets that the United States must declare. Under New START, the United States and Russia must cap their respective strategic nuclear arsenals by February 2018 at no more than 1,550 deployed warheads, 700 deployed launchers (i.e., heavy bombers, ICBMs, and submarine-launched ballistic missiles), and 800 deployed and non-deployed launchers. As of Sept. 1, 2014, the United States had 1,642 warheads, 794 deployed launchers, and 912 non-deployed launchers. Russia had an arsenal of 1,643, 528, and 911, respectively.

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org