The American president declared he felt compelled to act due to the nuclear capabilities of Russia and China.
President Donald Trump of the United States has directed the Pentagon to recommence nuclear weapons tests, attributing the decision to strategic rivalry with Russia and China.
This declaration by Trump occurred prior to his scheduled meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea, on Thursday, according to local timing.
“The United States possesses a greater number of Nuclear Weapons than any other nation. This achievement, which included a thorough modernization and refurbishment of existing armaments, was completed during my initial term. Despite their immense destructive capacity, I detested this necessity, but I was left with no alternative!” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
“Russia holds the second position, and China lags as a distant third, though it is projected to catch up within five years. In response to testing initiatives by other nations, I have directed the Department of War to commence testing our Nuclear Weapons reciprocally. This operation will commence without delay,” he further stated.
The United States ceased nuclear testing in 1992, following a moratorium enforced by Congress. Reports indicate that members of Trump’s administration debated overturning this suspension during his initial term, subsequent to American allegations that China and Russia were clandestinely performing underground low-yield nuclear tests – an assertion both Beijing and Moscow refuted.
A recent assessment from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) indicates that the United States possesses 5,177 nuclear warheads, Russia holds 5,459, and China is forecast to achieve 1,500 by the year 2035.
In February, the US conducted a test launch of an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile, which is capable of carrying nuclear warheads, and in September, it fired four Trident II missiles from an underwater vessel.
Earlier this month, Russia conducted a trial of its novel nuclear-capable Burevestnik cruise missile, which is propelled by a compact nuclear reactor, granting it an almost boundless operational range.