US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he had instructed the Department of Defence to immediately resume nuclear weapons testing, ending more than three decades of restraint.
“Because of other countries’ testing programmes, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our nuclear weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately,” Trump wrote on Truth Social ahead of his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea.
The announcement comes amid heightened global tensions and renewed nuclear posturing by Russia and China. “Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within five years,” Trump added.
Putin’s Nuclear Flex Adds to Global Tensions
The move follows Russian President Vladimir Putin’s declaration that Moscow successfully tested the Poseidon nuclear-powered super torpedo, capable of triggering massive radioactive ocean waves. Earlier this month, Russia also tested its Burevestnik cruise missile and conducted large-scale nuclear launch drills.
Analysts view these developments as part of an escalating nuclear arms race among the world’s top powers.
First US Test Since 1992
The United States last tested a nuclear weapon in 1992. Experts say renewed testing would not only validate the reliability of existing warheads but also signal a bold assertion of US strategic power.
The US entered the nuclear era in July 1945 with its first atomic test in Alamogordo, New Mexico, followed by bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki that ended World War II.
