FAST FACT
France has the 3rd largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world, behind Russia and the US. France has 300 nuclear warheads, just in front of the United Kingdom with 225 warheads. This pales in comparison to the numbers of the US at 4,804 warheads and Russia with 4,480 warheads, however.
At its peak, France had over 500 nuclear warheads in 1991–92, while the US in the 1960s and Russia in the 1980s had over 30,000 nuclear warheads at their peaks. France started its nuclear program in the 1960s in response to the Suez crisis and the escalating Cold War. At least it seems everyone is going in the right direction since those peaks — down.
