US President Donald Trump has ordered the United States military to immediately resume nuclear weapons testing for the first time in 33 years, Reuters reported.
Trump made the surprise announcement on Thursday on his Truth Social network, minutes before meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea.
"Due to the testing programs of other countries, I have instructed the War Department to begin testing our nuclear weapons in a similar manner. This process will begin immediately," he wrote.
President Trump said the tests would be conducted "on an equal footing" with other nuclear powers, citing Russia as "second" and China as "much later" but "coming within five years."
Later, on the flight to Washington, Trump told reporters that the tests are necessary to ensure the US remains on par with its rivals.
"Since others are testing, I think it's appropriate that we do it too," he declared aboard Air Force One, adding that the testing locations would be determined later.
When asked whether this decision could increase the global nuclear risk, Trump downplayed the concern, stressing that the US arsenal is "well-secured" and that he would welcome a denuclearization process.
"I would like to see denuclearization, because we have a lot of weapons, Russia is second, China is third, and it will catch up with us within four or five years," he said.
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), China has more than doubled its nuclear arsenal in the last five years – from about 300 warheads in 2020 to 600 in 2025 – and is expected to exceed 1,000 by 2030.
Meanwhile, Russia has recently tested the Poseidon nuclear torpedo and the Burevestnik nuclear-powered missile, fueling a new arms race.
Reactions to Trump's decision were immediate. Democratic Rep. Dina Titus of Nevada said on Platform X that she would introduce a bill to block the initiative.
While Daryl Kimball, director of the Arms Control Association, called Trump "uninformed and out of touch with reality," warning that the decision could "trigger a chain of nuclear tests" and undermine the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The United States conducted its last nuclear test in 1992. Since the 1990s, almost all nuclear powers, except North Korea, have stopped explosive tests.
