Washington, May 01: US President Barack Obama will likely reveal the size of the US nuclear stockpile at a major UN nuclear disarmament summit next week in New York, The Washington Post reported today.
Citing unnamed officials, the newspaper said various factions in the Obama administration had debated for months whether to declassify the numbers.
But now the administration is seeking a dramatic announcement that will further enhance its nuclear credentials as it tries to bolster the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the paper noted.
The summit on NPT opens Monday at UN headquarters in New York.
According to The Post, the numbers could be released when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton addressed the NPT Review Conference.
Arms-control groups estimate the US nuclear arsenal contains 9000 weapons, roughly 5000 of them active and the rest in line for disassembly.
—Agencies