In a late-night post shared on Truth Social this past Wednesday, former President Donald Trump declared his intention to reinstate nuclear weapons testing in the United States—an activity that the nation voluntarily ended thirty-three years ago. Trump justified this controversial decision by asserting that the move was a direct response to what he described as the ongoing nuclear testing programs of other countries. According to his own words, he had given formal instructions to the Department of War to begin testing American nuclear arms on what he called an ‘equal basis,’ suggesting an effort to ensure parity with foreign powers that continue such operations. He further emphasized that the new testing process would commence immediately, implying a sense of urgency and determination in carrying out this directive.
To fully understand the gravity of this announcement, it is worth recalling that the last nuclear test conducted by the United States occurred on September 23, 1992. At that time, the government also decided to halt the creation of fresh fissile material intended for nuclear warhead production, shifting instead toward a scientific initiative named ‘Science-Based Stockpile Stewardship.’ This program was designed to maintain the reliability, safety, and effectiveness of the existing nuclear arsenal through advanced simulations and research methods, thereby eliminating the perceived need for explosive testing. Notably, even when China carried out the detonation of a hydrogen bomb in 1994—a provocation that could have served as justification for resuming tests—the United States refrained from following suit. That restraint was hailed internationally as a symbol of commitment to post–Cold War arms control and a key step toward minimizing the global risk of nuclear escalation.
In the same Truth Social announcement, Trump also made a striking and somewhat perplexing claim regarding the comparative size of the American nuclear arsenal. He stated that during his first administration, his policies had led to a significant expansion of nuclear capabilities, such that the United States supposedly surpassed Russia—a nation widely regarded as possessing the largest nuclear weapons stockpile in the world. As he wrote, ‘The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country,’ further asserting that this accomplishment included ‘a complete update and renovation of existing weapons’ carried out during his initial term in office. The implication of these remarks was that his administration had not only modernized but quantitatively increased the arsenal beyond historical benchmarks.
It is important to note that the modernization effort Trump referenced was an extension of a long-term initiative originally undertaken by President Barack Obama in 2014. That program aimed to reinforce the U.S. nuclear deterrent through upgrades to aging warheads and delivery systems, ensuring reliability rather than increasing the total number of weapons. Trump, however, had repeatedly expressed a desire to see a ‘massive’ expansion of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, framing it as necessary to maintain strategic dominance. If, contrary to common understanding, the United States now indeed holds more nuclear weapons than Russia, that outcome would represent a profound and largely undisclosed transformation of global nuclear balance—a development that, if factual, would have occurred largely under the radar of international scrutiny during Trump’s presidency.
Trump’s announcement thus reopens a decades-old chapter in American defense policy. It challenges the consensus that testing moratoriums are both scientifically sufficient and politically necessary, and it raises new questions about how transparency, international treaties, and strategic balance will evolve in an era where even long-established norms can be revisited with the stroke of a digital post.
Sourse: https://gizmodo.com/u-s-nuclear-weapons-tests-will-begin-immediately-trump-says-2000679162
