Trump Asks Pentagon to Immediately Resume Nuclear Weapons Testing
The United States last conducted a nuclear weapons test in 1992.
US President Donald Trump, ahead of his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, announced that he has directed the Department of Defense to immediately resume nuclear weapons testing “on an equal basis” with other nuclear powers.
“Because of other countries’ testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our nuclear weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately,” Trump said on Truth Social, ahead of his meeting with Xi in South Korea.
“Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within five years,” he added.
On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia had successfully tested a Poseidon nuclear-powered super torpedo — a weapon military analysts say could devastate coastal regions by unleashing massive radioactive ocean waves.
As Trump has hardened his rhetoric and stance toward Russia, Putin has showcased his country’s nuclear capabilities, including the October 21 test of a new Burevestnik cruise missile and nuclear launch drills on October 22.
The United States last conducted a nuclear weapons test in 1992.
Such tests provide critical data on the performance of new weapons and the reliability of older ones. Beyond their technical purpose, a U.S. resumption of nuclear testing would likely be perceived by Russia and China as a deliberate display of American strategic power.
The United States first entered the nuclear age in July 1945 with the test of a 20-kiloton atomic bomb at Alamogordo, New Mexico, followed by the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 that ended World War II.
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