WASHINGTON — Former U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered the resumption of nuclear weapons testing for the first time in more than three decades, citing growing nuclear threats from Russia and China.
The directive, issued late Wednesday through Trump’s Truth Social platform, ended a 32-year moratorium on live nuclear testing that had been in place since 1992. It came just hours before his scheduled summit with 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. That process will begin immediately,” Trump wrote.
The announcement followed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unveiling of a new underwater nuclear drone capable of generating massive tsunami waves. “In terms of speed and operating depth, there is nothing like this unmanned vehicle anywhere in the world,” Putin said, describing the weapon as unmatched in global military technology.
Trump justified the decision as a necessary response to rival powers’ advancements, asserting that the United States “has more nuclear weapons than any other country.” He credited his previous administration with modernising the American nuclear arsenal and warned of “tremendous destructive power” in the nation’s stockpile.
The move reverses a U.S. policy dating back to September 1992, when the last full-scale nuclear test was conducted in Nevada. The U.S., Russia, and China all signed the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, which prohibits nuclear explosions, though Washington and Beijing never ratified it. Moscow ratified the pact in 2000 but withdrew in 2023 to mirror the U.S. position.
North Korea remains the only nation to have conducted nuclear explosive tests in the 21st century.
Trump said he “hated to do it” but claimed the decision was unavoidable in light of “escalating nuclear capabilities” among adversaries. He further warned that China could close the nuclear gap within five years if left unchecked.
The United States has relied on computer simulations and maintenance programs to verify the reliability of its arsenal since halting live tests. Trump’s announcement marks a dramatic shift that could reignite global nuclear competition and strain international non-proliferation efforts.
