President Donald Trump announced his intention to have U.S. military leaders resume nuclear weapons testing, citing the need to keep pace with countries like Russia and China. He stated on social media that he had directed the Department of War to initiate testing on an “equal basis” with other nations’ nuclear programs, just before meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea. Although the U.S. possesses the largest nuclear arsenal, no nuclear testing has occurred since 1992.
This announcement follows recent claims from Trump regarding Russian nuclear tests, which the Kremlin has since denied, asserting that the tests were not nuclear in nature. Trump mentioned that the specific locations for potential future nuclear tests would be determined later, reinforcing his view that, given other countries’ testing, it is appropriate for the U.S. to proceed as well.
According to the Arms Control Association, no country has conducted a nuclear test explosion in this century, except for North Korea, which announced a moratorium in 2018. Trump’s comments raised questions about whether he was referring to testing a nuclear explosion itself or merely the systems capable of deploying such weapons. His initial post emphasized the “tremendous destructive power” of nuclear arms but stressed the need to update the arsenal.
Historically, the U.S. has not conducted nuclear tests since George H.W. Bush’s era, a period resulting from the Cold War’s conclusion. Russia, in recent announcements, outlined new weapons capable of carrying nuclear warheads but again clarified that these developments did not constitute nuclear tests. The Kremlin also stated that they were unaware of any U.S. plans to conduct such tests.
China responded to Trump’s announcement by urging the U.S. to abide by the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and fulfill its commitments regarding nuclear testing. The debate continues regarding the implications of the U.S. potentially resuming tests, especially given the historical context and the existing international arms treaties.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gzq2p0yk4o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss