United States (US) President Donald Trump announced that the country will immediately resume testing of its nuclear weapons.
In a Truth Social statement on Thursday, October 30, Trump said the move aims to ensure the U.S. maintains parity with other nuclear powers.
Additionally, he stated that the US possesses more nuclear weapons than any other nation — a feat he says was achieved through a full modernization and upgrade of the country’s arsenal during his first term in office.
“The United States has more nuclear weapons than any other country. This was accomplished, including a complete update and renovation of existing weapons, during my First Term in office,” Trump said.
Trump Orders US to Resume Nuclear Weapons Testing
Trump said that despite his personal reluctance due to the “tremendous destructive power” of such weapons, he felt he had no choice but to strengthen America’s nuclear capability.
He added that Russia ranks second in nuclear strength while China remains “a distant third,” though he predicted Beijing could close the gap within five years.
“Because of the tremendous destructive power, I hated to do it, but had no choice! Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within 5 years,” Trump said.
“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.”
The directive effectively ends a 33-year hiatus in America’s nuclear weapons testing program.
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History of Global Nuclear Testing
The United States ushered in the nuclear age in July 1945 when it detonated a 20-kiloton atomic bomb at Alamogordo, New Mexico — the world’s first nuclear test.
Just weeks later, atomic bombs were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, forcing Japan’s surrender and bringing World War II to an end.
Four years later, in August 1949, the Soviet Union stunned the world by conducting its first nuclear test, officially launching the Cold War arms race.
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Between 1945 and the signing of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) in 1996, more than 2,000 nuclear tests were conducted globally.
According to the United Nations, the United States carried out 1,032 tests, followed by the Soviet Union with 715. France conducted 210 tests, while Britain and China each conducted 45.
The US last tested a nuclear weapon in 1992, followed by China and France in 1996, and the Soviet Union in 1990. Russia, which inherited most of the Soviet nuclear arsenal, has not conducted any nuclear tests since.
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