June 30, 2013

Dr. Andrew Weston-Dawkes
Office of Classification
Department of Energy

Dear Dr. Weston-Dawkes:

This is a proposal for declassification pursuant to 10 C.F.R. 1045.20
regarding information classified under the Atomic Energy Act.

We request that the Department of Energy initiate the declassification
of the total size of the U.S. nuclear stockpile and the number of weapons
dismantled annually as of the end of each fiscal year from FY 2010
through FY 2013.

The Department has previously declassified such information for each
fiscal year through FY 2009 (as per DOE Classification Bulletin WNP-128
dated May 6, 2010).  Essentially, we are requesting that this
declassification action be extended through the end of FY 2013.

The reasons for the proposed declassification are the same as the reasons
for the Department's previous declassification of stockpile information:
Nuclear transparency can strengthen non-proliferation efforts, and
can lay a foundation for future arms control efforts.

Furthermore, as a matter of principle, information should remain
classified only when doing so serves a valid and compelling national
security purpose.  We suggest that continued classification of the
size of the nuclear stockpile does not meet that criterion.

We therefore request that the Department consider declassifying this
information, as provided in 10 C.F.R. 1045.20.

Thank you for your consideration.

Steven Aftergood
Project on Government Secrecy
Federation of American Scientists
1725 DeSales Street NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC  20036

email: [email protected]
voice: (202)454-4691