U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday (October 30) directed the U.S. military to immediately resume nuclear weapons testing — the first such order in more than three decades. The announcement came just minutes before his scheduled meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea.
Trump revealed the decision in a Truth Social post while en route aboard Marine One, stating that the Pentagon would “test the U.S. nuclear arsenal on an equal basis with other nuclear powers.” The move signals a major shift in U.S. defense policy, effectively ending a 33-year moratorium on nuclear testing observed since the early 1990s.
The timing of the announcement added weight to Trump’s high-stakes negotiations with Xi, where trade and security issues were already expected to dominate. Analysts say the decision may heighten tensions with both China and Russia, who have each expanded their nuclear programs in recent years.
The order follows reports of new tests by Russia involving a nuclear-powered cruise missile and torpedo, as well as intelligence suggesting China is rapidly increasing its nuclear stockpile. The Pentagon has not yet disclosed when or where the renewed U.S. testing would begin.
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