For the first time since 2021, the U.S. has revealed how many nuclear warheads it has, showing a dramatic drop from Cold War levels. As of September 2023, America’s stockpile includes 3,748 warheads, a huge decrease from the peak of over 31,000 in 1967. Last year, only 69 warheads were dismantled, the fewest since 1994, even though there are still around 2,000 retired warheads waiting to be dismantled. This new transparency comes amidst ongoing global nuclear tensions and raises questions about whether other nations will follow suit.

The United States has disclosed its nuclear weapons stockpile inventory statistics for the first time since 2021. The action is another sign of increased transparency about this very private information, which also shows that the US decommissioned the fewest amount of retired nuclear weapons since 1994—just 69—last year.

The National Nuclear Security Administration, or NNSA, which is in charge of America's nuclear weapons arsenal, released the m...