U.S. President Donald Trump has cast doubt on the three-decade-old moratorium against explosive nuclear testing, hinting that the United States is prepared to resume underground nuclear detonations.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!When asked directly whether his administration planned to restart testing, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, “You’ll find out very soon.” He added, “We’re going to do some testing… Other countries do it. If they’re going to do it, we’re going to, OK?”
The comments follow a surprise social media post where the President ordered the U.S. military to “immediately” restart the process for testing nuclear weapons. Trump justified the move by stating that the U.S. “can’t be the only ones playing by old rules” while rivals, specifically Russia and China, expand their nuclear arsenals.
The announcement—made just before a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping—fuels speculation that Washington is poised to abandon the self-imposed moratorium that has been in place since 1992.
While it remains unclear if the President referred to a full-scale nuclear explosion or other types of nuclear-capable testing, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the decision. Speaking in Malaysia, Hegseth called the move “a very responsible way to maintain deterrence,” asserting it makes “nuclear conflict less likely.”
The U.S. has observed the global ban outlined in the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) since 1996, though it has never formally ratified it. The only country confirmed to have conducted an explosive nuclear test since 1998 is North Korea.
