By Hans M. Kristensen NNSA has published the Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan for Fiscal Year 2019, which updates the agency’s work on producing and maintaining the U.S. stockpile of nuclear warheads. The latest plan follows the broad outlines of last year’s plan but contains important changes. The new plan shows significant cost increases and […]
Read MoreHans M. Kristensen
Hans M. Kristensen is the director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists where he provides the public with analysis and background information about the status of nuclear forces and the role of nuclear weapons. He is the co-author to the Nuclear Notebook in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and the World Nuclear Forces chapter in the SIPRI Yearbook. Kristensen is a frequent advisor to the news media about the status and operations of the nuclear arsenals of the world's nine nuclear-armed states.
Recent Activity from Hans M. Kristensen
New START Numbers Show Importance of Extending Treaty
By Hans M. Kristensen The latest New START treaty aggregate numbers published by the State Department earlier today show a slight increase in U.S. deployed strategic forces and a slight decrease in Russian deployed strategic forces over the past six months. The data shows that the United States and Russia as of September 1, 2018 […]
Read MoreRussian ICBM Upgrade at Kozelsk
By Hans M. Kristensen New satellite photos show substantial upgrades of ICBM silos at the missile field near Kozelsk in western Russia. The images show that progress is well underway on at least half of the silos (possibly more) of the second regiment of the 28th Guards Missile Division from the Soviet-era SS-19 ICBM to […]
Read MoreNew Nuclear Notebook: Pakistani Nuclear Forces, 2018
By Hans M. Kristensen, Robert S. Norris, and Julia Diamond The latest FAS Nuclear Notebook has been published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: Pakistani nuclear forces, 2018 (direct link to PDF). We estimate that Pakistan by now has accumulated an arsenal of 140-150 nuclear warheads for delivery by short- and medium-range ballistic and […]
Read MoreThe Pentagon’s Annual Report on Chinese Military
By Hans M. Kristensen [Updated August 21, 2018] The Pentagon’s annual report to Congress on China’s military and security developments has finally been published, several months later than previous volumes. Normally it takes about one month after the report is generated to be published. This year it took three times that long. The report covers […]
Read MoreRussia Upgrades Nuclear Weapons Storage Site In Kaliningrad
By Hans M. Kristensen During the past two years, the Russian military has carried out a major renovation of what appears to be an active nuclear weapons storage site in the Kaliningrad region, about 50 kilometers from the Polish border. A Digital Globe satellite image purchased via Getty Images, and several other satellite images viewable […]
Read MoreUS SSBN Patrols Steady, But Mysterious Reduction In Pacific In 2017
By Hans M. Kristensen Despite their age, U.S. nuclear ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) continue to carry out strategic deterrent patrols at a steady rate of around 30 patrols per year, according to data obtained from the U.S. Navy under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by the Federation of American Scientists’ Nuclear Information Project. Yet […]
Read MoreDespite Rhetoric, US Stockpile Continues to Decline
By Hans M. Kristensen The US nuclear weapons stockpile dropped to 3,822 warheads by September 2017 – down nearly 200 warheads from the last year of the Obama administration, according to new information released by the Department of Defense in response to a request from the Federation of American Scientists (see here for full document). […]
Read MoreAfter Seven Years of Implementation, New START Treaty Enters Into Effect
By Hans M. Kristensen [Note: On February 22nd, the US State Department published updated numbers instead of relying on September 2017 numbers. This blog and tables have been updated accordingly.] Seven years after the New START treaty between Russia and the United States entered into force in 2011, the treaty entered into effect on February […]
Read MoreNew Data Shows Detail About Final Phase of US New START Treaty Reductions
By Hans M. Kristensen The full unclassified New START treaty data set released by State Department yesterday shows that the US reduction of its nuclear forces to meet the treaty limit had been completed by September 1, 2017, more than four months early before the deadline next month on February 5, 2018. The data set […]
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