President Donald Trump has called on U.S. military leaders to resume testing American nuclear weapons, in order to keep pace with countries such as Russia and China.
“Due to the testing programs of other countries, I have instructed the Department of War to begin testing our nuclear weapons on an equal basis,” he wrote on social media shortly before his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea.
Trump said that the United States has more nuclear weapons than any other country, with Russia in second place and China a “distant third.” The United States has not conducted nuclear weapons tests since 1992, reports the BBC, as cited by Sinjali.
This announcement comes only days after Trump criticized Russia for testing a nuclear-powered missile, which reportedly has unlimited range.
Trump’s post on Wednesday evening acknowledges the “highly destructive power” of nuclear weapons but emphasizes that he had “no other choice” but to modernize and renew the American arsenal during his first term.
He also stated that China’s nuclear program “will be even larger within five years.”
Trump did not provide details on how the tests would be conducted but wrote that “the process will begin immediately.”
This marks a clear reversal of long-standing U.S. policy. The last American nuclear weapons test took place in 1992, before former Republican president George H.W. Bush declared a moratorium following the end of the Cold War.
