logo
Brief Publisher Logo
FACT BRIEF

Are most of the nation's nuclear weapons located in the Nevada desert?

By Todd Butterworth
View this fact brief on The Nevada Independent
Copy link
email
Copy featured image
email
NO

While hard data is sparse given its strategic military importance, Nevada does not appear to have the most nuclear weapons in the U.S.

According to Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the state with the largest nuclear stockpile is New Mexico, although most of the weapons there are retired and awaiting dismantlement.

Nuclear warheads require a missle or bomber aircraft to be delivered. The three largest silos with nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles are located in Wyoming, Montana and North Dakota, according to the Department of Defense. In addition to its 400 land-based ICBMs, the department's "nuclear triad" includes an unstated number of bombs from 60 nuclear-capable heavy bomber aircraft and 240 submarine-launched ballistic missiles.

Separately, the Atomic Archive lists Nevada's Nellis Air Force Base as one of the U.S. Air Force's two main nuclear weapons depots, with "an assortment of B61 gravity bombs and air-launched cruise missiles."

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Nuclear Notebook: United States nuclear weapons, 2021
US Department of Defense The Nuclear Triad
Atomic Archive United States' Nuclear Facilities
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
The Nevada Independent
The Nevada Independent is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news and opinion website founded in 2017 by veteran political journalist and commentator Jon Ralston. The site and its supporting channels are focused on ethical, unbiased and transparent journalism. In general, we aim to gather and disseminate important public information and increase civic engagement. We are supported by corporate donations, memberships, event ticket sales and sponsorships and foundation grants. We disclose all our members and donors. Donors have no influence over our content, ever. The Nevada Independent is the dba for Nevada News Bureau, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in 2010 by Elizabeth Thompson, who now serves as one of The Nevada Independent's managing directors and its Editor.
FACT BRIEF BY
Brief Publisher Logo
Latest fact briefs from The Nevada Independent
facebook
twitter
email
email
About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.