On Friday, October 31, President Trump reiterated that the United States would resume nuclear testing and did not rule out the possibility of conducting underground nuclear tests.
President Trump made an unexpected statement on the social media platform “Truth Social” before his meeting with the Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping in South Korea on Thursday, October 30. He stated that in light of other countries’ nuclear testing plans, he had instructed the Pentagon to “begin testing our nuclear weapons with the same standards. Nuclear weapon testing will commence immediately.”
It has been 33 years since the United States last conducted a nuclear test. This move seems to be signaling to competitors such as China and Russia.
On his way to Mar-a-Lago in Florida on Air Force One on Friday, Trump reiterated the United States’ nuclear testing to reporters. When asked if this included underground nuclear testing commonly seen during the Cold War, the President did not explicitly rule out this possibility but said, “You will know soon, but we will be conducting some tests.”
“Other countries are doing it, so if they’re doing it, we’ll do it too,” he said.
Underground nuclear testing involves burying the nuclear bomb deep underground, detonating it, and using heavy materials to contain the blast, allowing only the shockwaves to escape and preventing radiation from leaking out, creating a “hidden nuclear explosion.” The extreme heat and pressure generated from underground nuclear tests can cause changes in surrounding rock formations.
It is currently unclear whether Trump’s mention of nuclear testing refers to nuclear explosion tests conducted by the National Nuclear Security Administration or missile flight tests carrying nuclear warheads.
Apart from North Korea conducting a nuclear test in 2017, no other nuclear-armed nation has conducted such tests in over 25 years.
Trump’s decision to resume nuclear weapons testing comes amid heightened tensions among the United States, China, and Russia. When announcing this news on Thursday, he stated, “The United States has more nuclear weapons than any other country. This goal has been achieved during my first term, including comprehensive updates and refurbishments of existing nuclear weapons. Due to the immense destructive power of nuclear weapons, I am very reluctant to do so, but there is no choice! Russia ranks second, with China far behind in third place, but expected to catch up within the next five years.”
Russia test-fired a new nuclear-powered cruise missile on October 21, conducted a nuclear readiness exercise on October 22, and test-fired a “Poseidon” nuclear-powered super torpedo on October 28. The Kremlin stated that the tests on October 21 and 28 were not nuclear weapon tests.
Vice President Pence stated at the White House on Thursday, “We obviously have a vast nuclear arsenal. Russia has a large nuclear arsenal, and China also has a large nuclear arsenal. Sometimes, you need to test to ensure they are functioning properly.”