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"It is in our national security interest to be as transparent as we can be about the nuclear program of the United States," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said as the Pentagon unveiled figures long shrouded in secrecy.
"We think that builds confidence, brings more people to an understanding of what President (Barack) Obama and this administration are trying to do," she said.
Releasing the details of the arsenal would bolster arms control efforts as well as attempts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, she said.
Clinton acknowledged there had been "numerous debates" inside the administration over whether to reveal the figures.
"As of September 30, 2009, the US stockpile of nuclear weapons consisted of 5,113 warheads," the Pentagon said in a statement.
The number included active warheads ready for deployment at short notice and "inactive" warheads maintained at a depot in a "non-operational status," it said.
The figure represented an 84 percent reduction from the arsenal at its peak of 31,255 in 1967 during the Cold War, and a 75 percent reduction from late 1989 when the Berlin Wall fell.
The US government last disclosed details of the stockpile in 1993, releasing figures current up to 1961.
Clinton said releasing the figures was not "in any way in opposition to our nuclear security" and that experts had already estimated the US stockpile.
A US defense official said the administration hoped more transparency from Washington would set a standard that would encourage countries to be more open.
"We hope that others will follow," the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters.
"In particular we’d like to see more transparency from China. We have really quite little visibility into their programs and plans," the official said.
Agence France-Presse
First Posted 07:08:00 05/04/2010
Philippine Daily Inquirer
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