U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to resume nuclear weapons testing, citing strategic competition with Russia and China. The decision comes as the U.S. seeks to maintain its nuclear superiority amid growing arsenals in Moscow and Beijing.
Trump made the announcement ahead of his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea, on Thursday, local time. The president emphasized the need to counter the growing nuclear capabilities of Russia and China, stating he was left with ‘no choice’ in light of their arsenals. The U.S. halted nuclear tests in 1992 under a Congress-mandated moratorium, which members of Trump’s cabinet reportedly discussed reversing during his first term after accusing China and Russia of secretly conducting underground low-yield nuclear tests.
Recent estimates by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) indicate that the U.S. possesses 5,177 nuclear warheads, Russia has 5,459, and China is projected to reach 1,500 by 2035. Trump highlighted the importance of maintaining nuclear capabilities, stating that the U.S. has ‘more Nuclear Weapons than any other country,’ a claim which he attributed to his administration’s efforts during his first term.
Earlier this month, Russia test-fired its new nuclear-capable Burevestnik cruise missile, powered by a small nuclear reactor that gives it a virtually unlimited range. The U.S. has also conducted recent tests, including an unarmed, nuclear-capable Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile in February and launched four Trident II missiles from a submarine in September.