For the first time in more than 30 years, the United States will resume testing nuclear weapons after President Donald Trump directed the Pentagon to restart the programme.The POTUS cited the need to match the actions of other nuclear powers such as Russia and China. The decision was announced by the MAGA leader on social media just minutes before he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea, signals a major shift in American nuclear policy and has drawn swift international condemnation. “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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. He added that the US had “more nuclear weapons than any other country”, followed by Russia and China, which he said would “be even within 5 years”.
Why did the superpower stop testing nukes?
The United States stopped testing nuclear weapons in 1992 to reduce global tensions after the Cold War and to lead efforts in preventing the spread of nuclear arms. Former President George Bush announced a moratorium, saying it was time to focus on diplomacy rather than destruction. The move aimed to encourage other nations to follow suit and support the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), which bans all nuclear explosions. Since then, the US has relied on advanced computer simulations and scientific methods to maintain its nuclear arsenal without the need for actual underground tests.Trump’s order reverses decades of restraint and comes at a time of rising global tensions. The president justified his decision as a way to “keep pace” with rival nations. “With others doing testing, I think it’s appropriate that we do also,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. He added that testing sites would be “determined later.”When asked if the move made the world more dangerous, Trump brushed aside the concern, saying US nuclear stocks were “well locked up” but added that he “would welcome denuclearisation.”
Timeline of major nuclear testing and policy shifts
- 1945 – Trinity Test (New Mexico)
The world’s first nuclear explosion. It marked the start of the atomic age and paved the way for the bombs dropped on Japan. - August 1945 – Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombings (Japan)
The US dropped two atomic bombs, killing over 200,000 people and forcing Japan’s surrender, ending World War II. - 1952 – Ivy Mike (Marshall Islands)
The first hydrogen bomb test. It was hundreds of times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb, proving the US had entered the thermonuclear era. - 1954 – Castle Bravo (Bikini Atoll)
The largest US test ever, producing a 15-megaton blast that caused widespread radioactive fallout and global outrage. - 1963 – Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT)
The US, UK, and USSR agreed to stop nuclear testing in the atmosphere, underwater, and in space, moving all tests underground. - 1974 – Threshold Test Ban Treaty (TTBT)
Limited all underground tests to under 150 kilotons, marking the first real step toward controlling the nuclear arms race. - 1986 – Operation Charioteer (Nevada)
A key underground test during the Reagan years to check new warhead designs amid Cold War tensions. - 1992 – Divider Test (Nevada)
The last US nuclear explosion. Soon after, President George H. W. Bush imposed a moratorium on all nuclear testing. - 1996 – Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT)
The US signed the treaty banning all tests, though it was never ratified by the Senate. Testing still stopped voluntarily. - 2025 – Trump’s Announcement to Resume Testing
President Donald Trump said the US would restart nuclear testing after 33 years, citing threats from Russia and China. Experts warn it could take up to three years to prepare the Nevada site.
How are rivals doing?
The decision follows reports that both Russia and China have been expanding or modernising their nuclear capabilities. Beijing has more than doubled its arsenal in the last five years, from 300 to around 600 nuclear weapons, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The think tank estimates that China could have more than 1,000 weapons by 2030. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the successful testing of new nuclear-capable weapons, including the Poseidon underwater drone and the Burevestnik cruise missile. Moscow insists that these tests did not involve nuclear detonations.
Global reaction and a ‘chain reaction’
The announcement was not quite welcomed among global powers. China’s foreign ministry urged Washington to “earnestly fulfil its obligations under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty” and uphold “global strategic balance and stability.” Russia warned that it would respond in kind if the US conducted tests. “The US is a sovereign country which has a right to make its sovereign decisions,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “But if someone departs from the moratorium, Russia will act accordingly.” In Washington, Daryl G Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, called the move “misinformed and out of touch.” He said the US had “no technical, military, or political justification for resuming nuclear explosive testing for the first time since 1992.” Kimball warned that resuming tests could “trigger a chain reaction of nuclear testing by US adversaries and blow apart the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.” He added that restarting underground testing at the Nevada site would take at least 36 months.
The numbers behind the nukes
The US is believed to possess around 5,225 nuclear warheads, while Russia has about 5,580, according to the Arms Control Association. China follows with an estimated 600. Other nuclear powers include France (290), the United Kingdom (225), India (180), Pakistan (170), Israel (90) and North Korea (50). The US last tested a nuclear bomb on September 23, 1992, under a project code-named Divider at an underground site in Nevada. The site, located 105 kilometres north of Las Vegas, remains under government control and could be reactivated if needed. Trump’s move comes roughly 100 days before the expiration of the New START Treaty in February 2026, the last remaining arms control agreement between the US and Russia. The treaty limits each side to 1,550 deployed strategic warheads.
