In a move marking a dramatic shift in U.S. defense policy, President Donald Trump has instructed the Department of War to resume nuclear weapons testing for the first time in over three decades. The announcement, made on social media, comes ahead of his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea.
Trump stated that the decision was necessary to keep pace with nuclear programs in Russia and China. “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. The U.S. last conducted a nuclear weapons test on September 23, 1992, under the project codenamed Divider at the Nevada Test Site.
The United States currently possesses the world’s largest nuclear arsenal, with Russia ranking second and China described by Trump as a “distant third.” He also predicted that China’s nuclear capabilities “will be even within five years.”
This directive follows Trump’s recent criticism of Russia for testing a nuclear-powered missile reportedly capable of unlimited range. Despite acknowledging the “tremendous destructive power” of nuclear arms, Trump said he had “no choice” but to modernize America’s arsenal to ensure national security.
While Trump did not disclose specific plans or timelines for the tests, he noted that the “process will begin immediately.” If carried out, the testing would take place at the Nevada Test Site—65 miles north of Las Vegas—where over 1,000 nuclear detonations were conducted between 1945 and 1992.
The decision reverses a decades-long U.S. moratorium on nuclear testing established under President George H.W. Bush after the Cold War. It also comes at a delicate moment in global diplomacy, as Trump’s announcement coincided with his first face-to-face meeting with Xi Jinping since 2019.
Experts warn that resuming nuclear testing could trigger a new global arms race, escalating tensions among the world’s leading nuclear powers.
