U.S.-USSR STRATEGIC FORCES, 1962

DELIVERY SYSTEMS:

U.S.: 156 ICBMs, 144 Polaris SLBMs, 1,300 strategic bombers

USSR: 44 ICBMs, 97 SLBMs, 155 heavy bombers

WARHEADS:

U.S.: over 6,000

USSR: about 300

SOVIET FORCES IN CUBA:

Nuclear Warheads: 162, incl. about 90 tactical

Effects of Soviet deployments in Cuba: doubling of Soviet missile force and theoretical capability to destroy 80-85% of U.S. strategic weapons in a first strike, but still leaving US with huge strategic advantage and ability to destroy the USSR in retaliation.

Sources: Raymond Garthoff in On the Brink; Robert McNamara, In Retrospect.