In a move that could mark a dramatic shift in global nuclear policy, U.S. President Donald Trump has directed the Pentagon to begin testing nuclear weapons “on an equal basis” with Russia and China. The announcement came Thursday, just moments before Trump’s scheduled meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the final leg of his Asia tour. Speaking to reporters in Washington, DC, Trump stated, “The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country,” identifying Russia as second and China as “a distant third, but will be even within five years.” He added, “Because of other c

In a move that could mark a dramatic shift in global nuclear policy, U.S. President Donald Trump has directed the Pentagon to begin testing nuclear weapons “on an equal basis” with Russia and China. The announcement came Thursday, just moments before Trump’s scheduled meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the final leg of his Asia tour.

Speaking to reporters in Washington, DC, Trump stated, “The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country,” identifying Russia as second and China as “a distant third, but will be even within five years.” He added, “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.”

If implemented, the order would effectively end America’s three-decade-long moratorium on nuclear explosive testing, first observed in 1992. The United States, Russia, and China have all refrained from full-scale nuclear tests since the mid-1990s—China last in 1996, Russia in 1990, and the U.S. in 1992. The last known nuclear test worldwide was conducted by North Korea in 2017.

However, all three major powers have continued to modernize their nuclear delivery systems. Russia recently announced a successful test of its nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile, while China has expanded its ballistic missile facilities and test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the Pacific Ocean in 2024. The U.S. Navy, meanwhile, carried out four tests of its nuclear-capable Trident missiles in September.

Experts warn that Trump’s move could reignite a global nuclear arms race. Jeffrey Lewis, a professor at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, told CNN, “There are really a lot of hints that suggest Russia, China, and the United States might resume nuclear testing.”

The White House and the Department of Defense have yet to issue official statements clarifying how soon testing might begin or where it will occur.

If Trump’s directive proceeds, it would represent the first U.S. nuclear test in over three decades—signaling the potential end of an era of restraint and a new phase of nuclear competition among the world’s superpowers.

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