Washington: U.S. President Donald J. Trump has claimed that the United States will restart nuclear weapons testing, citing the need to match other countries’ testing activities. The announcement came through a social media post early Thursday morning, where he also asserted that America now holds the world’s largest nuclear arsenal.
In his message, Donald Trump stated that the U.S. had “accomplished a complete update and renovation” of its nuclear weapons during his first term in office. He added that while he “hated to do it,” he believed testing was necessary due to other nations’ nuclear developments.
“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,” the post read.
The statement also claimed that Russia ranks second in nuclear strength, while China remains “a distant third,” though he predicted Beijing could reach parity within five years.
If carried out, the move would represent a major departure from decades of U.S. adherence to nuclear test moratoriums. The United States last conducted a full-scale nuclear test in 1992, and while it has maintained readiness capabilities, all subsequent research has been confined to non-explosive simulations under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) framework.
