The State Department on Wednesday released the aggregate numbers of US and Russian strategic offensive arms. According to the data, current as of Feb. 5, the United States has 1,800 nuclear warheads on 882 deployed launchers (i.e., ICBMs, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and heavy bombers), while Russia has 1,537 warheads on 521 deployed launchers. The United States has a total of 1,124 deployed and non-deployed launchers; Russia has 865. The two nations were required to exchange this information by March 22 under the provisions of the New START arms control agreement. The treaty took effect on Feb. 5 for a duration of 10 years. Within seven years of its entry into force, each nation is required to have no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads, 700 deployed launchers, and 800 deployed and non-deployed launchers. The two nations will update the inventory totals every six months while the treaty is in force. (State Department fact sheet) (See also New START fact sheet)
Russia’s lack of conventional military superiority when compared to the U.S. and the rest of NATO is driving its development of “asymmetric” capabilities like the nuclear anti-satellite weapon that generated headlines earlier this year, multiple Pentagon officials said this week.