The U.S. Military Has 3,822 Nuclear Weapons

Michael Peck, National Interest: The U.S. Military Has 3,822 Nuclear Weapons. (Enough Firepower to Kill Billions)

In a more peaceful universe, the fact that the United States possesses almost 4,000 weapons that can destroy entire cities would be horrifying.

But in our universe, it is actually an encouraging sign of how much America's nuclear arsenal has declined since the Cold War.

As of 2017, the U.S. had 3,822 nuclear weapons, according to data just declassified by the Department of Energy. That's down from 4,018 in 2016. That number does not include weapons that have been retired but have yet to be dismantled by the Department of Energy.

The figures show just how deep America's nuclear arsenal has been cut since the height of the Cold War. In 1962, the year of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the United States had 25,540 nuclear weapons. That number grew to a peak of 31,255 nuclear weapons in 1967.

From 1967 on, that number gradually declines. In the 1970s, the stockpile ranged from 24,000 to 28,000 weapons. In the 1980s, it hovered around 23,000.

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WNU Editor: The above video shows a rare glimpse inside a US Nuclear Missile Silo & Launch Facility of the 91st Missile Wing at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota.