Global Concern Over Trump’s Call to Resume U.S. Nuclear Testing

Global concern has been sparked by Donald Trump’s public announcement that he has instructed the U.S. Department of Defense (which he referred to as the “Department of War”) to immediately resume nuclear weapons testing for the first time in 33 years — the last such test taking place in 1992.

“Because of other countries’ testing programs, I have directed the Department of Defense to begin testing our nuclear weapons on an equal basis,” the U.S. president wrote on Truth Social. According to The New York Times, the phrase “on an equal basis” may indicate that Trump intends to demonstrate the power of U.S. missiles or underwater nuclear systems, rather than conduct a full-scale nuclear detonation.

Outrage Over Russia’s Tests

It remains unclear what prompted Trump’s sudden statement, issued while he was en route to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. However, The New York Times suggests that the U.S. president may have been angered by recent Russian weapons tests.

Just days earlier, Vladimir Putin announced that Russia had successfully tested the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile, which Moscow claims can travel thousands of kilometers to reach the U.S. West Coast. Putin also stated on Wednesday that “yesterday we conducted another test — another promising system — an underwater drone, the Neptune.”

Trump criticized Moscow’s actions, telling reporters that his Russian counterpart should be working to end the war in Ukraine “instead of testing missiles.”

China’s Expanding Arsenal

At the same time, China presents what The New York Times calls a “particularly difficult nuclear challenge” for Trump, as Beijing has never signed a nuclear arms limitation treaty.

During the Cold War, China’s “minimal deterrent force” of a few hundred nuclear weapons seemed insignificant compared to the massive arsenals of the U.S. and Russia. But under Xi Jinping, that policy has changed.

Initially in secret, and later openly, China began constructing hundreds of new missile silos, clearly visible to U.S. satellites. The Pentagon now estimates that China will possess roughly 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030 and 1,500 by 2035 — putting it on par with the U.S. and Russia.

Despite this expansion, China shows no interest in joining nuclear arms control talks, although Trump has said he believes he can persuade Xi to do so.

The World’s Nuclear Arsenals

According to the latest report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the United States holds 5,117 nuclear warheads, while Russia has 5,489.

In total, SIPRI estimates that nine countries — the U.S., Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea — possess over 12,200 nuclear warheads combined.

For years, U.S. weapons scientists have argued that further nuclear tests are unnecessary, as advanced computer simulations can replicate the results of detonations once carried out in the Pacific or underground in Nevada. However, with the U.S. now modernizing its aging nuclear arsenal, calls have resurfaced for renewed testing.

The New York Times warns that if Trump were to conduct a live nuclear test — possibly in the Nevada desert outside Las Vegas — it could trigger similar actions by other nuclear powers, including the U.K., France, and Israel, as well as encourage India, Pakistan, and North Korea to expand their programs.

The Future of Arms Control

Washington and Moscow remain formally bound by the New START Treaty, which limits each side to 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and includes mutual inspection provisions. However, enforcement has been suspended for the past two years.

The treaty is set to expire in February, and while Putin has proposed extending it for another year, he has not agreed to resume on-site inspections.

In 2019, during Trump’s first term, the U.S. withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, a landmark 1987 agreement with Russia that banned an entire class of missiles.

In 2020, U.S. media reported that Trump had privately discussed resuming nuclear testing as a warning to both Russia and China.

From the first U.S. nuclear test in July 1945 in the New Mexico desert to the moratorium declared by President George H. W. Bush in 1992, the United States conducted 1,054 nuclear tests — and dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.