U.S. Nuclear Arsenal Shifts from Tactical Dominance to Deterrence, Raising Escalation Concerns
The United States, which once possessed a vast nuclear arsenal peaking at 31,255 warheads in 1967, has significantly reduced its tactical nuclear weapons stockpile. Currently, the U.S. primarily maintains approximately 100 B-61 gravity bombs in Europe, which can be launched by designated U.S. and NATO partner aircraft. While most U.S. tactical nuclear weapons have been retired and their warheads dismantled, Russian assessments suggest the continued presence of dual-purpose Mk-41 launchers in Europe. These launchers, located at Aegis Ashore sites in Romania and Poland, can be used for SM-3 air defense interceptors or Tomahawk cruise missiles. The U.S. maintains that Tomahawk missiles are conventionally armed, with the nuclear-armed variants having been retired by 1991 to comply with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, from which the U.S. withdrew in 2019. The Pentagon categorizes U.S. nuclear weapons into strategic, delivered by long-range ballistic missiles, and tactical, such as the B-61 g... 
