UK gov’t reveals size of its total nuclear stockpile for first time; says it 225 warheads
By APWednesday, May 26, 2010
UK gov’t reveals it has 225 nuclear warheads
LONDON — Britain has revealed the size of its nuclear arsenal for the first time, saying it has 225 warheads.
British officials have said before that the country has 160 warheads that are operational, or ready to fire. Foreign Secretary William Hague’s comments in the House of Commons were the first time the total size of the stockpile was revealed.
Hague says “the time is now right to be more open about the weapons we hold.”
The U.S. announced this month that the United States has 5,113 nuclear warheads in its stockpile and “several thousand” more retired warheads awaiting the junk pile.
The Obama administration’s announcement was the first accounting of a secretive arsenal born in the Cold War and now shrinking rapidly.
