Russia has over 100 more strategic nuclear warheads deployed than it had at this time last year, according to the latest data shared by the State Department from the recently renewed New START Nuclear Arms Control Treaty.
On Feb. 3, the U.S. and Russia officially extended New START until Feb. 5, 2026. The Biden administration agreed to the five-year extension after the Trump administration failed to secure a shorter-term extension that Trump officials said would have been a better way to leverage Russian cooperation on a follow-up nuclear-arms deal.
Under New START, the State Department reports a tally of deployed, treaty-covered warheads and launchers, as of the first days of March and September. The latest numbers, current as of March 1, 2021, show that the Russian Federation added 130 deployed warheads on a mixture of intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles and heavy bombers. Each heavy bomber counts as a single warhead, under the treaty.
New START, which went into effect in 2011, lets the U.S. and Russia deploy no more than 1,550 strategic warheads across 700 intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and heavy bombers, while possessing no more than 800 deployed and non-deployed bombers, intercontinental ballistic missile launchers, and submarine-launched ballistic missile launchers.
Strategic warheads are larger nuclear weapons meant to be launched in great number to destroy an adversary’s capability to wage war, along with much of its population. The treaty does not cover tactical nuclear weapons, which are relatively smaller weapons sometimes intended for use in conflict zones and battlefields.
Below are the year-over-year and six-month changes in strategic nuclear arms deployments as tracked by the State Department under New START.
Year Over Year Changes
| US | 03/01/2020 | 3/1/2021 | Change (US) | Change (Russian Federation) | 03/01/2021 | 3/1/2020 | Russian Federation |
| Deployed ICBMs, SLBMs, Heavy Bombers | 655 | 651 | -4 | 32 | 517 | 485 | Deployed ICBMs, SLBMs, Heavy Bombers |
| Warheads on deployed ICBMs, SLBMs, and counted for Heavy Bombers | 1373 | 1357 | -16 | 130 | 1456 | 1326 | Warheads on deployed ICBMs, SLBMs, and counted for Heavy Bombers |
| Deployed and non-deployed launchers of ICBMs, SLBMs and deployed and non-deployed heavy bombers. | 800 | 800 | 0 | 13 | 767 | 754 | Deployed and non-deployed launchers of ICBMs, SLBMs and deployed and non-deployed heavy bombers. |
Six Month Changes
| US | 9/1/2020 | 3/1/2021 | Change (US) | Change (Russian Federation) | 3/1/2021 | 9/1/2020 | Russian Federation |
| Deployed ICBMs, SLBMs, Heavy Bombers | 675 | 651 | -24 | 7 | 517 | 510 | Deployed ICBMs, SLBMs, Heavy Bombers |
| Warheads on deployed ICBMs, SLBMs, and counted for Heavy Bombers | 1457 | 1357 | -100 | 9 | 1456 | 1447 | Warheads on deployed ICBMs, SLBMs, and counted for Heavy Bombers |
| Deployed and non-deployed launchers of ICBMs, SLBMs and deployed and non-deployed heavy bombers. | 800 | 800 | 0 | 3 | 767 | 764 | Deployed and non-deployed launchers of ICBMs, SLBMs and deployed and non-deployed heavy bombers. |