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United States
Nuclear-armed state
Possesses 5,244 nuclear weapons
Has not yet joined the TPNW
Status
The United States has not yet signed or ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
National position
The United States has consistently voted against an annual UN General Assembly resolution since 2018 that welcomes the adoption of the TPNW and calls upon all states to sign, ratify, or accede to it “at the earliest possible date”.
In December 2021, the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said: “We do not support the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Seeking to ban nuclear weapons through a treaty that does not include any of the countries that actually possess nuclear weapons is not likely to produce any results.”
Along with other nuclear-armed states, the United States has said that it does “not accept any claim that [the TPNW] contributes to the development of customary international law”. It has called on all states that are considering supporting the the TPNW “to reflect seriously on its implications for international peace and security”.
In October 2020 – with the TPNW’s entry into force imminent – the United States called on states that had already ratified the treaty to withdraw their support. However, in September 2021, the US under secretary for arms control and international security, Bonnie Jenkins, said that the United States is no longer “telling countries that they shouldn’t sign” the TPNW.
A message projected onto the United Nations headquarters in New York in 2022 calls on the United States to join the TPNW. Photo: ICAN
Atomic bombings
The United States is the only country to have used nuclear weapons in war. In the final days of World War II, it detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing more than 200,000 people instantly or within a few months of the attacks.
Many thousands more died in the years following the attacks from illnesses caused by their exposure to radiation from the bombs. Almost all of the victims were civilians.
Photos and illustrations of victims of the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima, as displayed at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. Photo: Wikimedia
Nuclear-weapon programme
The United States possesses approximately 5,244 nuclear weapons, which it can launch from missiles, submarines, and aircraft. Its intercontinental ballistic missiles are based in silos in Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming.
In 2022, the United States spent an estimated US$43.7 billion to build and maintain its nuclear forces.
The United States conducted 1,030 nuclear tests between 1945 and 1992, most of them in Nevada and the Marshall Islands, but some of them over the Malden and Kiritimati islands, Alaska, Colorado, Mississippi, New Mexico, and the Atlantic Ocean.
Political developments
The state legislatures of California, Oregon, New Jersey, and Rhode Island have passed resolutions in support of the TPNW, and several members of the US congress have pledged to work for the United States’ signature and ratification of the treaty.
Dozens of cities across the country, including Boston, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC, have also appealed to the US government to sign and ratify the TPNW. In 2021, New York City resolved to pursue the divestment of public funds from nuclear weapon makers in response to the TPNW’s entry into force.
Like other nuclear-armed states, the United States did not attend as an observer the first meeting of states parties to the TPNW, held in Vienna in June 2022. At a press conference in Washington, DC, several members of the US congress criticised the decision and expressed support for the United States’ accession to the treaty.
An opinion survey published in 2021 found that there is “baseline support” for the TPNW in the United States of around 65 per cent of the public.
Campaigners mark the second anniversary of the TPNW’s entry into force outside the White House in Washington, DC, in 2023.
TPNW negotiations
The United States did not participate in the negotiation of the TPNW at the United Nations in New York in 2017 and thus did not vote on its adoption. On the opening day of the negotiating conference, it organised a gathering of several states to protest the treaty-making process.
In 2016, the United States voted against the UN General Assembly resolution that established the formal mandate for states to commence negotiations on “a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total elimination”.
The United States actively discouraged other states from supporting the resolution.
In a document sent to members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) ahead of the vote, the United States “strongly encourage[d]” members to vote against the resolution, “not to merely abstain”. In addition, it said that, if the treaty negotiations do commence, allies and partners should “refrain from joining them”.
A Japanese paper crane sits on the empty desk of the United States during the TPNW negotiations in New York in 2017. Photo: ICAN
Nuclear-armed state
Possesses 5,244 nuclear weapons
Has not yet joined the TPNW
[HIGHLIGHTS]
Status
The United States has not yet signed or ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
National position
The United States has consistently voted against an annual UN General Assembly resolution since 2018 that welcomes the adoption of the TPNW and calls upon all states to sign, ratify, or accede to it “at the earliest possible date”.
In December 2021, the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said: “We do not support the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Seeking to ban nuclear weapons through a treaty that does not include any of the countries that actually possess nuclear weapons is not likely to produce any results.”
Along with other nuclear-armed states, the United States has said that it does “not accept any claim that [the TPNW] contributes to the development of customary international law”. It has called on all states that are considering supporting the the TPNW “to reflect seriously on its implications for international peace and security”.
In October 2020 – with the TPNW’s entry into force imminent – the United States called on states that had already ratified the treaty to withdraw their support. However, in September 2021, the US under secretary for arms control and international security, Bonnie Jenkins, said that the United States is no longer “telling countries that they shouldn’t sign” the TPNW.
A message projected onto the United Nations headquarters in New York in 2022 calls on the United States to join the TPNW. Photo: ICAN
Atomic bombings
The United States is the only country to have used nuclear weapons in war. In the final days of World War II, it detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing more than 200,000 people instantly or within a few months of the attacks.
Many thousands more died in the years following the attacks from illnesses caused by their exposure to radiation from the bombs. Almost all of the victims were civilians.
Photos and illustrations of victims of the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima, as displayed at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. Photo: Wikimedia
Nuclear-weapon programme
The United States possesses approximately 5,244 nuclear weapons, which it can launch from missiles, submarines, and aircraft. Its intercontinental ballistic missiles are based in silos in Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming.
In 2022, the United States spent an estimated US$43.7 billion to build and maintain its nuclear forces.
The United States conducted 1,030 nuclear tests between 1945 and 1992, most of them in Nevada and the Marshall Islands, but some of them over the Malden and Kiritimati islands, Alaska, Colorado, Mississippi, New Mexico, and the Atlantic Ocean.
Political developments
The state legislatures of California, Oregon, New Jersey, and Rhode Island have passed resolutions in support of the TPNW, and several members of the US congress have pledged to work for the United States’ signature and ratification of the treaty.
Dozens of cities across the country, including Boston, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC, have also appealed to the US government to sign and ratify the TPNW. In 2021, New York City resolved to pursue the divestment of public funds from nuclear weapon makers in response to the TPNW’s entry into force.
Like other nuclear-armed states, the United States did not attend as an observer the first meeting of states parties to the TPNW, held in Vienna in June 2022. At a press conference in Washington, DC, several members of the US congress criticised the decision and expressed support for the United States’ accession to the treaty.
An opinion survey published in 2021 found that there is “baseline support” for the TPNW in the United States of around 65 per cent of the public.
Campaigners mark the second anniversary of the TPNW’s entry into force outside the White House in Washington, DC, in 2023.
TPNW negotiations
The United States did not participate in the negotiation of the TPNW at the United Nations in New York in 2017 and thus did not vote on its adoption. On the opening day of the negotiating conference, it organised a gathering of several states to protest the treaty-making process.
In 2016, the United States voted against the UN General Assembly resolution that established the formal mandate for states to commence negotiations on “a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total elimination”.
The United States actively discouraged other states from supporting the resolution.
In a document sent to members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) ahead of the vote, the United States “strongly encourage[d]” members to vote against the resolution, “not to merely abstain”. In addition, it said that, if the treaty negotiations do commence, allies and partners should “refrain from joining them”.
A Japanese paper crane sits on the empty desk of the United States during the TPNW negotiations in New York in 2017. Photo: ICAN
[PARTNERS]
Awakening/art & culture
Beyond Nuclear
Center for Political Ecology
Citizens for Peaceful Resolutions
Daisy Alliance
Environmentalists Against War
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Georgia Women's Action for Nuclear Disarmament
Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action
Guahan Coalition for Peace and Justice
Hibakusha Stories
Interfaith Paths to Peace
International Health & Epidemiology Research Center
Los Alamos Study Group (LASG)
Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
nuclearban.us: Treaty Compliance Campaign
Nuclear Age Peace Foundation
Nuclear Watch New Mexico
Nukewatch
Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance
Peace Action
Peace Action New York State
Peace Farm of Texas
Peacemaker 360
Peace Resource Center at Wilmington College
PEAC Institute
Project for Nuclear Awareness
Physicians for Social Responsibility (United States)
Physicians for Social Responsibility (Florida Chapter)
Physicians for Social Responsibility (Kansas City Chapter)
Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center and Rocky Flats Nuclear Guardianship
Sierra Club USA
St. Joan of Arc Church Peacemakers
The Resistance Center for Peace and Justice
Transform Now Plowshares
Tri-Valley CAREs
United Methodist General Board of Church and Society
US Peace Council
Utah Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons
VFP Golden Rule Project
War Prevention Initiative
Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility
Women Against Military Madness
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (US)
World Beyond War
Hampton Roads Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons
Pax Christi Metro Washington, DC- Baltimore
Peace Action of WI
New Jersey Peace Action
Pax Christi Metro Washington, DC- Baltimore
UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS
Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility
Pax Christi Michigan
Pax Christi Northern California
Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles (PSR-LA)
Pathways To Peace
Peace-Activism
Global Campaign for Peace Education
The Nuclear Resister
PeaceWorks Kansas City
Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety
Remembering Hiroshima, Imagining Peace
Reverse the Trend: Save Our People, Save Our Planet
Ethics In Technology a 501 c 3
Marshallese Educational Initiative
WE Rotary E-Club of District 5000
Nevada Desert Experience
Manhattan Project for a Nuclear-Free World
Alaska Peace Center
Nuclear Free Future Coalition (NCFC)
PNC: Stop Banking the Bomb
San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace
Traprock Center for Peace and Justice
New York Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (NYCAN)
Affected Communities & Allies Working Group
Nuclear Watch South
Women Transforming Our Nuclear Legacy
Dominican Leadership Conference
Taos Environmental Film Festival
Students for Nuclear Disarmament
Korean American Peace Fund
Sant'Egidio Foundation for Peace and Dialogue
Snake River Alliance
[LOCALSUPPORT]
Support for TPNW Get involved with ICAN in this country ›
ICAN Cities Appeal
These are the towns, cities and states that support the TPNW ICAN Cities Appeal:
Towns and cities:
Alstead, NH
Amherst, MA
Anchorage, AK
Arcata, CA
Asheville, NC
Atherton, CA
Baltimore, MD
Bangor, ME
Barrington, NH
Boston, MA
Brookline, MA
Bloomington, IN
Carlsbad, CA
Cummington, MA
Davis, CA
Denver, CO
Des Moines, IA
Dover, NH
Durham, NH
E. Providence, RI
Easthampton, MA
Eureka, CA
Evanston, IL
Exeter, NH
Goshen, MA
Ithaca, NY
Jamestown, RI
Lansing, NY
Lee, NH
Leverett, MA
Los Angeles, CA
Menlo Park, CA
Minneapolis, MN
Needham, MA
Newton, MA
Ojai, CA
Peterborough, NH
Philadelphia, PA
Portland, ME
Portland, OR
Portsmouth, NH
Salem, OR
Salt Lake City, UT
Santa Barbara, CA
Somerville, MA
South Burlington, VT
Springfield, MA
Syracuse, NY
Tuscon, AZ
Warner, NH
Walla Walla, WA
Windsor, MA
Winooski, VT
Williamsburg, MA
Worcester, MA
Yellow Springs, OH
The following US States have also passed resolutions in support of the TPNW:
The following US Counties have also passed resolutions in support of the TPNW:
ICAN Parliamentary Pledge
These are the elected representatives that work to support and promote the TPNW:
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Rep. Earl Blumenauer
Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton
Rep. Pramila Jayapal
Rep. Ro Khanna
Rep. Barbara Lee
Rep. Betty McCollum
Rep. Jim McGovern
Rep. Carolyn Maloney
Rep. Mark Pocan
Rep. Rashida Tlaib
NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATURE
Sen. Liz Krueger
Sen. Julia Salazar
Sen. Gustavo Rivera
Sen. Robert Jackson
Rep. Phara S. Forrest
OREGON STATE LEGISLATURE
Rep. Teresa Alonso Leon
Sen. Michael Dembrow
Sen. Jeff Golden
Rep. Dacia Grayber
Rep. Ken Helm
Rep. Alissa Keny-Guyer
Sen. Kate Lieber
Rep. Susan McLain
Rep. Pam Marsh
Rep. Rob Nosse
Sen. Deb Patterson
Rep. Khanh Pham
Rep. Karin Power
Sen. Floyd Prozanski
Rep. Lisa Reynolds
Rep. Andrea Salinas
Rep. Tawna Sanchez
Rep. Sheri Schouten
Rep. Janeen Sollman
Sen. Kathleen Taylor
Sen. Rob A. Wagner
Rep. Anna Williams
MASSACHUSETTS STATE LEGISLATURE
Sen. James Eldridge
Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa
Sen. Joanne M. Comerford
MINNESOTA STATE LEGISLATURE
Sen. John Marty
Sen. Jennifer McEwen
Sen. Omar Fateh
Sen. Scott Dibble
Sen. Chuck Wiger
Sen. Sandra L. Pappas
LOCAL LEGISLATURE
Mayor. Nicole LaChapelle
Commissioner Carmen Rubio
NEW HAMPSHIRE GENERAL COURT
Rep. Jan Schmidt
No events yet
Related news View all news ›
Support for TPNW Get involved with ICAN in this country ›
ICAN Cities Appeal
These are the towns, cities and states that support the TPNW ICAN Cities Appeal:
Towns and cities:
Alstead, NH
Amherst, MA
Anchorage, AK
Arcata, CA
Asheville, NC
Atherton, CA
Baltimore, MD
Bangor, ME
Barrington, NH
Boston, MA
Brookline, MA
Bloomington, IN
Carlsbad, CA
Cummington, MA
Davis, CA
Denver, CO
Des Moines, IA
Dover, NH
Durham, NH
E. Providence, RI
Easthampton, MA
Eureka, CA
Evanston, IL
Exeter, NH
Goshen, MA
Ithaca, NY
Jamestown, RI
Lansing, NY
Lee, NH
Leverett, MA
Los Angeles, CA
Menlo Park, CA
Minneapolis, MN
Needham, MA
Newton, MA
Ojai, CA
Peterborough, NH
Philadelphia, PA
Portland, ME
Portland, OR
Portsmouth, NH
Salem, OR
Salt Lake City, UT
Santa Barbara, CA
Somerville, MA
South Burlington, VT
Springfield, MA
Syracuse, NY
Tuscon, AZ
Warner, NH
Walla Walla, WA
Windsor, MA
Winooski, VT
Williamsburg, MA
Worcester, MA
Yellow Springs, OH
The following US States have also passed resolutions in support of the TPNW:
The following US Counties have also passed resolutions in support of the TPNW:
ICAN Parliamentary Pledge
These are the elected representatives that work to support and promote the TPNW:
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Rep. Earl Blumenauer
Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton
Rep. Pramila Jayapal
Rep. Ro Khanna
Rep. Barbara Lee
Rep. Betty McCollum
Rep. Jim McGovern
Rep. Carolyn Maloney
Rep. Mark Pocan
Rep. Rashida Tlaib
NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATURE
Sen. Liz Krueger
Sen. Julia Salazar
Sen. Gustavo Rivera
Sen. Robert Jackson
Rep. Phara S. Forrest
OREGON STATE LEGISLATURE
Rep. Teresa Alonso Leon
Sen. Michael Dembrow
Sen. Jeff Golden
Rep. Dacia Grayber
Rep. Ken Helm
Rep. Alissa Keny-Guyer
Sen. Kate Lieber
Rep. Susan McLain
Rep. Pam Marsh
Rep. Rob Nosse
Sen. Deb Patterson
Rep. Khanh Pham
Rep. Karin Power
Sen. Floyd Prozanski
Rep. Lisa Reynolds
Rep. Andrea Salinas
Rep. Tawna Sanchez
Rep. Sheri Schouten
Rep. Janeen Sollman
Sen. Kathleen Taylor
Sen. Rob A. Wagner
Rep. Anna Williams
MASSACHUSETTS STATE LEGISLATURE
Sen. James Eldridge
Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa
Sen. Joanne M. Comerford
MINNESOTA STATE LEGISLATURE
Sen. John Marty
Sen. Jennifer McEwen
Sen. Omar Fateh
Sen. Scott Dibble
Sen. Chuck Wiger
Sen. Sandra L. Pappas
LOCAL LEGISLATURE
Mayor. Nicole LaChapelle
Commissioner Carmen Rubio
NEW HAMPSHIRE GENERAL COURT
Rep. Jan Schmidt
Find a partner in United States to get active Become an ICAN Partner Organization ›
-
Awakening/art & culture
-
Beyond Nuclear
-
Center for Political Ecology
-
Citizens for Peaceful Resolutions
-
Daisy Alliance
-
Environmentalists Against War
-
Friends Committee on National Legislation
-
Georgia Women's Action for Nuclear Disarmament
-
Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action
-
Guahan Coalition for Peace and Justice
-
Hibakusha Stories
-
Interfaith Paths to Peace
-
International Health & Epidemiology Research Center
-
Los Alamos Study Group (LASG)
-
Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy
-
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
-
nuclearban.us: Treaty Compliance Campaign
-
Nuclear Age Peace Foundation
-
Nuclear Watch New Mexico
-
Nukewatch
-
Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance
-
Peace Action
-
Peace Action New York State
-
Peace Farm of Texas
-
Peacemaker 360
-
Peace Resource Center at Wilmington College
-
PEAC Institute
-
Project for Nuclear Awareness
-
Physicians for Social Responsibility (United States)
-
Physicians for Social Responsibility (Florida Chapter)
-
Physicians for Social Responsibility (Kansas City Chapter)
-
Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center and Rocky Flats Nuclear Guardianship
-
Sierra Club USA
-
St. Joan of Arc Church Peacemakers
-
The Resistance Center for Peace and Justice
-
Transform Now Plowshares
-
Tri-Valley CAREs
-
United Methodist General Board of Church and Society
-
US Peace Council
-
Utah Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons
-
VFP Golden Rule Project
-
War Prevention Initiative
-
Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility
-
Women Against Military Madness
-
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (US)
-
World Beyond War
-
Hampton Roads Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons
-
Pax Christi Metro Washington, DC- Baltimore
-
Peace Action of WI
-
New Jersey Peace Action
-
Pax Christi Metro Washington, DC- Baltimore
-
UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS
-
Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility
-
Pax Christi Michigan
-
Pax Christi Northern California
-
Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles (PSR-LA)
-
Pathways To Peace
-
Peace-Activism
-
Global Campaign for Peace Education
-
The Nuclear Resister
-
PeaceWorks Kansas City
-
Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety
-
Remembering Hiroshima, Imagining Peace
-
Reverse the Trend: Save Our People, Save Our Planet
-
Ethics In Technology a 501 c 3
-
Marshallese Educational Initiative
-
WE Rotary E-Club of District 5000
-
Nevada Desert Experience
-
Manhattan Project for a Nuclear-Free World
-
Alaska Peace Center
-
Nuclear Free Future Coalition (NCFC)
-
PNC: Stop Banking the Bomb
-
San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace
-
Traprock Center for Peace and Justice
-
New York Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (NYCAN)
-
Affected Communities & Allies Working Group
-
Nuclear Watch South
-
Women Transforming Our Nuclear Legacy
-
Dominican Leadership Conference
-
Taos Environmental Film Festival
-
Students for Nuclear Disarmament
-
Korean American Peace Fund
-
Sant'Egidio Foundation for Peace and Dialogue
-
Snake River Alliance