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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

Is much of the cost of nuclear weapons kept out of the Pentagon budget?

By Ellie Pepperell
YES

The cost of much of the U.S. nuclear arsenal has been funded separately from the Defense Department's budget since the creation of the atomic bomb under stringent secrecy during World War II. The Energy Department inherited those costs when it was created in 1977.

For fiscal 2020, ending Sept. 30, the Pentagon sought $718 billion. The Energy Department asked for $23.7 billion to cover its related national security role, a range of weapons-building and support programs.

The Nuclear Threat Initiative, a nonprofit working to reduce risks from nuclear weapons, suggests the split budget contributed to rapid growth of the U.S. nuclear stockpile during the Cold War. "There was little financial disincentive for service officials to request a nuclear warhead when a conventional one might be just as much or even more appropriate," an analyst wrote in 2008.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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