US says it has 5,113 nuclear warheads

Giving out details of its arms stocks, the US said that it has 5,113 nuclear warheads in its weapons stockpile. It represents an 84 percent reduction from the end of 1967, when the US nuclear arsenal stood at 31,255 warheads. The US nuclear stockpile includes both active and inactive warheads. Active warheads include strategic and non-strategic weapons maintained in an operational, ready-for-use configuration, and warheads that must be ready for possible deployment within a short timeframe. Inactive warheads are maintained in a non-operational status at depots, and have their tritium bottles removed, states the US' department of defence website. The official noted that the country was making progress in dismantling nuclear warheads with 8,748 dismantled between years 1994 and 2009 and several thousand more currently retired and awaiting dismantlement. The official hoped that this step would set a standard for the rest of the world, including China, to be more transparent about their nuclear weapons programmes.