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United States: Large Reductions Made Recently By Greg Webb Global Security Newswire The United States reduced its nuclear forces over the last four months as this week’s Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty deadline approached. Since July 31, the United States has eliminated more than 1,000 nuclear warheads from START accountability, according to an Arms Control Association fact sheet. Information about the precise disposition of U.S. strategic nuclear reductions emerged yesterday following U.S. and Russian announcements Wednesday that both countries had successfully met the START deadline (see GSN, Dec. 5). As of Wednesday, U.S. strategic nuclear forces were deployed on 1,238 strategic nuclear delivery vehicles—ICBMs, submarine-launched ballistic missiles and bombers—well below the 1,600 ceiling called for by the treaty, according to a U.S. State Department release. On those delivery vehicles was a total of 5,949 warheads, using the treaty’s counting rules, also below the treaty’s 6,000-warhead limit. ICBMs On July 31, the United States had 577 ICBM launchers and 2,079 warheads on ICBMs, as counted by START, according to the ACA fact sheet. By Wednesday, those numbers were reduced to 551 launchers and 1,701 warheads, according to a U.S. official. These reductions were accomplished in two ways. First, the U.S. Air Force destroyed the last 26 Minuteman III ICBM silos as part of a missile base consolidation program. Under that program, 150 Minuteman IIIs were transferred from Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota to converted Minuteman II silos at Malmstrom AFB in Montana. The last missile silo at Grand Forks was destroyed on August 24, according to an Air Force press release. Because those silos counted as three warheads each, their destruction removed 78 warheads from the U.S. total under the treaty. Second, the Air Force “downloaded” an additional 150 Minuteman IIIs to reduce the number of warheads they carry from three to one. This process, completed at F.E. Warren AFB in Wyoming was formally completed on Oct. 13, according to Rex Ellis, the air base’s treaty compliance specialist. This removed 300 warheads from U.S. ICBMs, which, combined with the reductions that resulted from destroying the silos at Grand Forks, reduced ICBM warheads by a total of 378. Unchanged in the U.S. ICBM arsenal, according to the U.S. official, are 50 MX missiles, capable of carrying 10 warheads each. Additionally, a single Minuteman II silo (once capable of holding a missile with a single warhead) is now a display item at Ellsworth AFB in South Dakota, but remains accountable under the treaty. SLBMs On July 31, the United States had 3,616 warheads deployed on 448 submarine-launched ballistic missiles, according to the ACA fact sheet. By Wednesday those numbers had been reduced to 3,120 warheads on 432 missiles, according to the U.S. official. These reductions were accomplished in two ways. First, the last submarine carrying Poseidon missiles was decommissioned, according to a U.S. State Department official, removing 16 missiles and 160 warheads from the U.S. arsenal. Second, the United States “downloaded” all of its Trident I missiles so they now carry no more than six warheads, according a U.S. Navy spokesman Lt. Bill Speaks. These missiles are carried by seven Trident submarines, each capable of carrying 24 missiles, based in Bangor, Washington, said the U.S. official. In addition, the United States has 11 submarines equipped to carry the Trident II missile, which carries no more than eight warheads, although it was designed to carry as many as 10. Ten of these submarines are based at Kings Bay, Georgia and the 11th is based at Bangor where it recently completed a conversion to carry Trident II missiles, according to U.S. Navy spokesman Lt. Kevin Stephens. Bombers On July 31, the United States had 274 bombers capable of carrying 1,318 warheads under START rules, according to the ACA fact sheet. By Wednesday, the U.S. bomber force had been reduced to 255 planes and 1,128 warheads accountable under START, according to the U.S. official. The U.S. Air Force accomplished these reductions by eliminating 19 B-52 bombers, each of which was counted as carrying 10 warheads, the U.S. official said. The remaining U.S. bomber force remained unchanged, the official said. It consists of 20 B-2 bombers (accountable for one warhead each under the treaty), 91 B-1 bombers (accountable for one warhead each) and 47 B-52 bombers (accountable for one warhead each). U.S. Strategic Nuclear Forces under START as of Dec. 5
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