In the light of this, a new AEC-AFSWP agreement on "Responsibilities of Stockpile Operations" was drawn up in August 1951, but in December, the Joint Chiefs of Staff began a new push for weapons to be permanently assigned to the armed forces, so as to ensure a greater degree of flexibility and a higher state of readiness.[66] On 20 June 1953, Eisenhower, now as president, approved the deployment of nuclear components in equal numbers to non-nuclear components,[67] and the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 amended the sections of the old act that gave exclusive custody to the AEC.[68] By 1959, the nuclear stockpile had grown to 12,305 weapons of which 3,968 were in AEC custody and the remaining 8,337 were held by the Department of Defense.[65] The total yield of the stockpile was now in excess of 19,000 megatons of TNT (79,000 PJ).[69]