WASHINGTON, Oct 30: President Donald Trump has instructed U.S. military officials to restart nuclear weapons testing, citing the need to match the programs of nations like Russia and China, according to the BBC.
Trump explained on social media, just ahead of his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea, that the Department of War should begin testing U.S. nuclear weapons “on an equal basis” due to ongoing tests by other countries. He emphasized that the United States holds the world’s largest nuclear arsenal, with Russia in second place and China trailing behind, and noted that the country has not conducted any nuclear tests since 1992, the BBC added.
The announcement came shortly after Trump criticized Russia for testing a nuclear-powered missile that allegedly has unlimited range. In his post on Wednesday night, Trump acknowledged the immense destructive potential of nuclear weapons but said modernizing the U.S. arsenal was unavoidable during his first term, the BBC reported.
He also warned that China’s nuclear capabilities could reach parity with other global powers within the next five years. Details on how the tests would be conducted were not provided, though Trump stated that the process would begin immediately, the BBC noted.
This directive represents a clear departure from a decades-long U.S. policy, with the last nuclear test occurring in 1992 under the moratorium declared by former President George H. W. Bush at the end of the Cold War. Trump’s post coincided with Xi’s arrival in South Korea for their first in-person talks since 2019, appearing while Trump was aboard Marine One en route to Gimhae International Airport, according to the BBC.
The last U.S. nuclear test took place on September 23, 1992, at an underground site in Nevada. That project, known as Divider, was recorded as the 1,054th nuclear test conducted by the United States, according to the Los Alamos National Laboratory, which played a pivotal role in the development of the atomic bomb, the BBC added.
The Nevada Test Site, located about 65 miles north of Las Vegas, remains under U.S. government control. According to the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History, affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution, the site could be authorized for nuclear testing again if necessary, the BBC reported.