Nuclear Arsenal

Wow. I find it remarkable that a two-thirds reduction in our nuclear arsenal will leave over 1700 operationally deployed strategic nuclear warheads. I don’t know the average, but I’d guess it’s between 3 and 5 warheads to delivery vehicle (i.e. missile). That’s still a massive capability.

Growing up on Kwajelein in the Marshall Islands, we used to get up in the middle of the night when there was a mission to watch the warheads blossom from the delivery vehicle (usually an ICBM, I think) upon re-entry and rain down into the lagoon. The missiles were launched from California, about 5k miles away… they reached the atoll in about 25 minutes if I recall correctly.

2 Replies to “Nuclear Arsenal”

  1. Actually, the RVs deployed from the “bus” some far from Kwaj. They became visible on entering the atmosphere. The blossoming effect had more to do with their approach, like the vanishing point in perspective drawings. It was quite a sight.

  2. Hi–we don’t know you, but found your site on a search for Kwajelein + Christian. Our family is considering accepting a job offer there, but are very curious about what it’s like to raise a christian family there. If you have time, would you consider a brief correspondence to answer a few questions? Thanks, Tracy Adams

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