“ It ’s a funny thing,”says nuclear weapon system expert Hans Kristensen . “ The governing that talk the most about foreshorten atomic weapons tend to concentrate the least . ”
Based on the belated data declassify and published by the Obama presidential term , Kristensen has created two graphs . The one immediately below shows how the U.S. atomic stockpile has changed over clip — and during specific governing body — in terms of the telephone number of warheads that were added or back out from the reserve each yr .
But , a effective way to assess an administration ’s record is to compare the reductions as a percentage of the size of the stockpile at the beginning of each presidency . That fashion the data more clear illustrates how much of an impingement on stockpile size each prexy was responsible for — as illustrate in this chart :
Looking at the data , Kristensen notes :
The Reagan brass , which in its first terminal figure was seen by many as ramping up the Cold War , ended up shrink the full backlog by almost 900 payload .
As the first post - Cold War administration , the George H.W. Bush presidency originate enormous nuclear weapons decrease and ended up shrink the stockpile by almost 9,500 payload — almost on the nose the number the Kennedy administration increase the stockpile . In one year ( 1992 ) , Bush cut 5,300 load , more than any other President of the United States — ever .
The Clinton administration come into office staff riding the Bush reduction wafture , so to talk , and in its first term cut approximately 3,000 warheads from the stockpile . But in his 2d terminus , President Clinton slowed down significantly and in one yr ( 1996 ) actually increased the stockpile by 107 weapon system – the first metre since 1987 that had happened and the only increase in the post - Cold War era so far . It is still unclear what caused the 1996 increase . When the Clinton administration result office , there were still approximately 10,500 atomic load in the backlog .
President George W. Bush , who many of us in the arms control community regard as a lightning rod for trying to build unexampled nuclear arm and urge more proactive use against so - call “ rogue ” states , end up becoming one of the great atomic disarmers of the post - Cold War era . Between 2004 and 2007 ( mainly ) , the Bush W. organisation unilaterally cut the stockpile by more than one-half to about 5,270 warheads , a level not seen since the Eisenhower administration .
So far , President Obama has had the least effect on the size of the stockpile of any of the post - Cold War presidents : a simplification of 10 pct over six days . Kristensen attributes this , in part , to the governing ’s tempestuous relationship with Congress . “ A conservative Congress does not complain when Republican chairperson tighten the stockpile , only when Democratic chair seek to do so , ” he says . “ As a outcome of the enemy , the United States is now stuck with a larger and more expensive atomic arsenal than had Congress agreed to meaning reductions . ”
Another issue has been the refractoriness of Russian President Vladmir Putin to hold to extra arms reductions . Because the Obama administration has made additional step-down specify on Russian concord , the U.S. today deploy one - third more atomic warheads than it needs for interior and international security commitment , ” argue Kristensen . “ Ironically , because of Putin ’s opposition to additional reducing , Russia will now be ‘ threatened ’ by more U.S. nuclear artillery than had Putin agreed to further reductions … As a result , Russian taxpayers will have to ante up more to hold a bigger Russian atomic force than would otherwise have been necessary . ”
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