How Many Nuclear Weapons Does the US Have in 2026?

The United States has about 5,042 nuclear warheads, of which roughly 3,700 are in the military stockpile and about 1,770 are deployed on missiles and at bomber bases, according to the Federation of American Scientists. The total has changed little in a decade. What has changed is that, since February 2026, no treaty limits it.

This guide breaks the arsenal down by status and by delivery system, and explains what is being replaced, at what cost.

How many nuclear weapons does the US have?

Washington last published an official figure in 2024: 3,748 warheads in the stockpile as of September 2023. The numbers below are the estimates of the Federation of American Scientists, whose annual Nuclear Notebook is the standard public reference. At the Cold War peak in 1967 the stockpile held 31,255 warheads.

Russia has slightly more, about 5,420 in total, as set out in how many nuclear weapons Russia has. Together the two countries hold close to nine in every ten nuclear warheads in the world.

The nuclear triad: missiles, submarines and bombers

American warheads are spread across three kinds of launcher so that no single attack could destroy them all. Each leg has a different strength: land-based missiles are ready within minutes, submarines cannot be found, and bombers can be recalled.

The submarines carry the most. Eight Ohio-class boats are based at Bangor in Washington state and six at Kings Bay in Georgia, and several are at sea at any moment. The Minuteman III force is spread across five states. The bombers, flying from Minot in North Dakota and Whiteman in Missouri, carry gravity bombs and the AGM-86B cruise missile. The missiles themselves are described in what missiles the US has.

US nuclear weapons in Europe

The United States keeps about 100 B61-12 gravity bombs at six air bases in five NATO countries: Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey. They would be delivered by American and allied fighters under NATO’s nuclear sharing arrangements. The Federation of American Scientists says storage at RAF Lakenheath in Britain is being readied for a possible return of US weapons after an absence of almost two decades.

These are the only non-strategic nuclear weapons left in the American inventory. Russia is estimated to have well over 1,000.

What is being replaced, and what it costs

Almost every part of the arsenal dates from the 1980s or earlier and is being replaced at once. The Congressional Budget Office put the bill at $946 billion for the ten years from 2025 to 2034.

Sentinel is the most troubled. Its cost rose so far that the Pentagon had to recertify it in 2024, and the plan now involves digging new silos instead of reusing the old ones. Columbia is the programme the Navy says it cannot allow to fail, because the Ohio boats cannot be kept in service much longer.

After New START: no limits for the first time since 1972

New START, the last treaty capping American and Russian strategic forces, expired on 5 February 2026. It allowed each side 1,550 deployed strategic warheads on 700 deployed launchers. In the last data exchange, in 2023, the United States declared 1,419 warheads on 662 launchers. Russia had already suspended inspections.

Neither country has announced a build-up. Either could move quickly if it chose to, because warheads held in reserve can be loaded back onto existing missiles. The Federation of American Scientists estimates that the United States could add several hundred in this way. The other pressure is China, which has roughly 600 warheads and is adding to them faster than any other state.

Frequently asked questions

How many nuclear weapons does the US have?

About 5,042 in total. Roughly 3,700 are in the military stockpile, about 1,770 of them deployed, and about 1,342 are retired and waiting to be dismantled.

Who has more nuclear weapons, the US or Russia?

Russia, narrowly. The Federation of American Scientists estimates about 5,420 Russian warheads against 5,042 American.

Where are US nuclear weapons kept?

In missile silos in Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska and Colorado, on submarines based in Washington state and Georgia, at bomber bases in North Dakota and Missouri, in central storage sites and at six bases in Europe.

How many nuclear submarines carry US warheads?

Fourteen Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines, each able to carry up to 20 Trident II missiles.

Is there still a nuclear arms treaty between the US and Russia?

No. New START expired on 5 February 2026 and nothing has replaced it.