President Donald Trump has directed the Pentagon to resume nuclear weapons testing for the first time since 1992. He made the announcement just before meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea.
“Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis,” Trump posted on social media.
The decision follows reports that Russia successfully tested a nuclear-powered underwater drone. Moscow insists the test did not violate nuclear warhead bans. China has also expanded its nuclear capabilities, prompting Trump’s response.
The United States remains a signatory to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, which prohibits all nuclear explosions. However, Trump emphasized the need to match rival nations’ programs. He did not clarify whether the tests would involve live warheads or delivery systems. He stated that testing would begin “immediately,” but gave no specific timeline or location.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Russia holds the largest nuclear arsenal with 5,489 warheads. The U.S. follows with 5,177, and China has 600. Despite this data, Trump claimed:
“Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within five years,” he said.
Trump justified the move as a necessary response to foreign advancements. He also expressed interest in future denuclearization talks with China and Russia.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded, stating Russia’s tests were not nuclear detonations. He warned that Russia would “act accordingly” if the U.S. violated the moratorium. China urged the U.S. to support global disarmament and uphold the nuclear testing ban.
The U.S. last conducted a nuclear test in 1992, a 20-kiloton underground explosion in Nevada. Since then, testing has relied on subcritical experiments and simulations.
