January 6, 2015

Dr. Andrew Weston-Dawkes
Director
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 (and the Department of Defense) 
authorize the declassification of the size of the U.S. nuclear stockpile 
and the number of weapons dismantled as of the end of fiscal year 2014.

The reasons for the proposed declassification are the same as the reasons 
for the prior declassification of stockpile information through FY 2013.  
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 believe that continued classification of the size of the FY 2014 
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: saftergood@fas.org
voice: (202)454-4691