State Releases Updated New START Numbers

The State Department has released the biannual assessment of strategic nuclear weapons in the stockpile of both the Russian Federation and the United States, with details on both deployed and non-deployed weapons. As of March 1, the US fielded 778 deployed ICBMs, sea launched ballistic missiles, and heavy nuclear capable bombers, while the Russians count in the same categories is 498. The deployed warheads count stands at 1,585 for the US and 1,512 for Russia. The US has 449 deployed Minuteman IIIs, with 57 non-deployed launch vehicles, as well as six test launchers. The US heavy bomber count, as of March 1, stands at 11 deployed B-2s (with nine in the “non-deployed” category) and 78 deployed B-52s (with 11 non-deployed).