Trump instructs Pentagon to ‘immediately’ start testing US nuclear weapons

President Donald Trump announced on Oct. 29 that the United States will “immediately” resume nuclear weapons tests, a move he said is needed to ensure the country keeps up with its rival nuclear powers.

In a Truth Social post, Trump touted progress made on nuclear weapons modernization during his first term. But he warned that China’s nuclear weapons buildup will place Beijing’s arsenal on equal footing with the United States and Russia “within 5 years.”

“Because of other countries [sic] testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis,” Trump said. “That process will begin immediately.”

Asked by a reporter on Air Force One on his way back to Washington, D.C., from South Korea on Oct. 30 if the world was entering a more risky environment when it comes to nuclear issues, Trump said he didn’t think so.

“I think we have it pretty well locked up,” Trump explained. “But I see them testing. I say, well, they’re going to test, I guess we have to test.”

Trump said he’d like to see a “de-nuclearization,” adding that it would be a “tremendous thing.”

“And it’s something we are actually talking to Russia about that and China would be added to that,” he said.

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The move seemingly signals an abrupt end to a 33-year period during which the United States did not test any nuclear weapons. The moratorium on nuclear detonations was put in place by former President George H.W. Bush, and the United States signed the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1996. The Senate voted against ratifying the treaty.

While China and Russia have renovated their historical nuclear test sites in recent years, only North Korea has detonated nuclear weapons since 1998.

It was not immediately clear from Trump’s post whether the United States would fire a nuclear warhead before Russia or China does. All three countries — and other nuclear weapons states — routinely test their nuclear delivery platforms: Russia tested a new nuclear-powered cruise missile and a nuclear torpedo in recent days, and the United States test-launched a Minuteman III nuclear missile in May.

The announcement came as Trump traveled to Gimhae Air Base in South Korea for a hotly anticipated meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, their first face-to-face conversation since the U.S. leader returned to office earlier this year. During his first term, Trump tried and failed to initiate trilateral arms control talks with Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump did not respond to a reporter’s question on why he changed the United States’ posture on nuclear testing as his meeting with Xi began.

Nuclear weapons expert: Trump announcement could ‘trigger strong public opposition in Nevada’

The president’s announcement baffled nuclear weapons experts, some of whom believe Trump’s post may have referred to missile flight testing or non-explosive nuclear tests.

Arms Control Association head and nuclear weapons expert Daryl Kimball said the United States “has no technical, military, or political reason to resume nuclear explosive testing.” In a series of posts on X, Kimball added that Trump’s announcement could “trigger strong public opposition in Nevada,” where the United States has historically conducted its underground nuclear tests, draw condemnation from allies, “trigger a chain reaction of testing by U.S. adversaries,” and “blow apart” international agreements that have discouraged countries from building and testing nuclear weapons.

Another nuclear nonproliferation expert, Andrea Stricker of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said that Trump needs “to clarify what he means” by “nuclear testing.”

“He may authorize low-yield nuclear testing, as Russia and China may be conducting, rather than full-scale tests,” Stricker said on X. She hypothesized that Trump may be seeking to kickstart a new round of arms control negotiations before the last remaining U.S.-Russia arms control treaty expires in February 2026.

A Department of Energy spokesperson and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment.

Brandon Williams, the Trump-appointed head of the National Nuclear Security Administration, told lawmakers in April that he would advise the administration not to resume nuclear weapons tests.

Contributing: Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY

Davis Winkie’s role covering nuclear threats and national security at USA TODAY is supported by a partnership with Outrider Foundation and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump says US will ‘immediately’ start testing nuclear weapons