U.S. strategic force planners are considering keeping 800 nuclear warheads on the 500 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles aimed at Russia, up from earlier plans to put only one warhead on each missile, the newspaper said.

Pentagon officials "confirmed the idea is under consideration as part of a larger study of U.S. strategic forces, covering sub-launched missies, bombs and cruise missile warheads. as well as missile defenses," the report said.

Weapons consultant Hans Kristensen told the Tribune the new plan may reflect the U.S. Air Force's desire to reinforce targeting of Russia's most dangerous multi-warhead missiles, the SS-18s and SS-19s.

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