US President Donald Trump has directed the Pentagon to begin nuclear weapons testing, citing the need to match the programs of China and Russia. The announcement came just before his high-level summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, sparking global concern and debate over renewed nuclear escalation.
Trump said his decision followed reports that Russia had recently tested a nuclear-capable underwater drone despite international warnings. “Because of other countries’ testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis,” he wrote on social media.
Renewed Nuclear Race Raises Alarms Worldwide
The United States has not conducted a nuclear test since 1992 when it signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), which prohibits all atomic test explosions. Trump’s statement did not clarify whether he was referring to full-scale warhead testing or non-nuclear systems capable of carrying nuclear payloads.
Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump said it had been “many years” since America last performed nuclear tests, calling the move “appropriate” because other nations continue testing. He emphasized that the United States leads the world in nuclear strength, with Russia second and China third but rapidly advancing.
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) reports that nine countries currently possess nuclear arms, with Russia holding around 5,500 warheads and the United States owning just over 5,000.
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China’s Foreign Ministry quickly responded, urging the US to uphold the global testing ban and honor its international commitments. “China hopes the United States will earnestly abide by the obligations of the comprehensive nuclear-test-ban treaty and take concrete actions to safeguard nuclear disarmament,” said spokesman Guo Jiakun.
Between 1945 and 1992, the United States conducted more than 1,000 nuclear tests. The last occurred in September 1992 at the Nevada Nuclear Security Site. Since then, nuclear testing has been replaced by advanced computer simulations and subcritical experiments.
Trump’s latest move marks a major shift from decades of restraint and could signal the start of a new era of nuclear competition among world powers.
