US spends $52 billion annually on nuclear weapons arsenal

A Carnegie Institute for Peace study reveals that the United States spends $52 billion a year to maintain, upgrade and operate its nuclear weapons arsenal.

The Carnegie study has found the American government spends more than $52 billion a year for its nuclear programs but spends very little on other programs. The money spent for diplomacy, foreign assistance, general science, space, technology and other energy programs are far less compared to the budget for nuclear requirements. The study was posted in the Federation for American Scientists’ Secrecy News blog and noted the following:

Nuclear security consumes $13 billion more than international diplomacy and foreign assistance; nearly double what the United States allots for general science, space, and technology; and 14 times what the Department of Energy (DOE) budgets for all energy-related research and development.

The $52 billion is allocated as follows for maintaining, upgrading and operating its nuclear arsenal.

Rawstory.com

The United States' nuclear budget

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The Department of Energy’s budget mainly comprises of nuclear weapons or related programs -- about 67 per cent is allocated for nuclear arsenal programs instead of allocating the money for solar, wind and other forms of energy. The budget spends $700 million, just 1.3 per cent to get ready for a nuclear attack in the U.S. soil. The study’s author Stephen Schwartz believes if other clandestine nuclear programs are involved, the budget will be very much higher than $52 billion. Schwartz also notes that the U.S. spends more money on enhancing nuclear forces than preventing nuclear proliferation. The American government has a record stockpile of about 9,600 nuclear missiles. You can read the full report, “Nuclear Security Spending: Assessing Costs, Examining Priorities," by Stephen I. Schwartz and Deepti Choubey, here. Is $52 billion a year on nuclear arsenal necessary, while every other area such as education, space, health care, national highways, manufacturing, and others are suffering?