The United States military establishment currently has an inventory of about 5,177 nuclear warheads. Of these, about 1,770 are deployed, while about 1,930 are being held in reserve with another 1,477 retired warheads awaiting dismantlement, a report by the Federation of American Scientists’ (FAS) Nuclear Information Project has revealed.
Of the 1,770 deployed, 400 are on land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, about 970 are on submarine-launched ballistic missiles, 300 are at bomber bases in the US, and 100 tactical bombs are at European bases.
The nuclear weapons are believed to be stored in 24 locations across 11 US states and five European countries.
In the US, the biggest storage lies at the Kirtland Underground Munitions and Maintenance Storage Complex south of Albuquerque, New Mexico with Washington being the second-largest inventory. The Strategic Weapons Facility Pacific and the ballistic missile submarines at Naval Submarine Base at Kitsap are also based in Washington.
The report points out that the number of locations will increase over the next decade as nuclear storage capacity is added to three bomber bases.
The US is undertaking a major three-decade modernisation project of its nuclear arsenal.
The country maintains 19 nuclear-capable B-2A bombers while 46 of the 76 B-52 bombers can carry nukes, totaling a fleet of 65 nuclear-capable bombers. A B-2 bomber can carry 16 nuclear bombs while the B-52 can carry up to 20 air-launched cruise missiles.
These bomber aircraft comprise nine squadrons at three air bases in Minot in North Dakota, Barksdale in Louisiana, and Whiteman in Missouri. The number of bases that will house nuclear bombers will increase to five after a new strategic bomber—the B-21 Raider—enters into service.
About 100 B-21 bombers are expected to replace the 19 B-2 bombers and all B-1 non-nuclear bombers.
The B-21 will be armed with a new nuclear air-launched cruise missile (ALCM) known as the AGM-181 LRSO.