Perhaps the most important devel-opment of 1998 occurred on October 1, when a new Single Integrated Operational Plan (SIOP-99)—the U.S. nuclear war plan—went into effect. SIOP-99 resulted from Presidential Decision Directive 60, which was signed by President Clinton in November 1997, and is the first new national nuclear employment policy guidance since 1981. The number of operational strategic nuclear weapons is estimated to be about 7,200, approximately the same level as last year. As we have discussed in the past, the size and composition of the total stockpile has stabilized. Over the next few years the actual number of intact warheads of all categories will be approximately 10,000, given current policy directives.
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