US President Donald Trump directs Pentagon to begin nuclear weapons testing, citing programs by Russia and China as justification
SEOUL: US President Donald Trump announced he has ordered the Pentagon to commence nuclear weapons testing matching the levels of Russia and China.
Trump made this declaration just minutes before beginning a high-stakes summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea.
The decision follows Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Wednesday announcement of successful testing for a nuclear-capable, nuclear-powered underwater drone.
“Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis,” Trump stated in a social media post specifically naming Russia and China.
Trump emphasized that the United States possesses more nuclear weapons than any other country worldwide.
He praised his administration’s efforts in completing “a complete update and renovation of existing weapons.”
The president noted that “Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within five years.”
According to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, nine countries currently maintain nuclear arsenals.
These nuclear-armed nations include Russia, the United States, China, France, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, India, Israel and North Korea.
The organization estimates there are approximately 12,331 nuclear warheads globally.
Russia maintains more than 5,500 nuclear warheads while the United States possesses 5,044 warheads.
Trump provided no specific details about the nature or scope of the planned testing program.
He confirmed the testing process would “begin immediately” without further elaboration.
Putin had announced the successful testing of a nuclear-capable underwater drone named “Poseidon.”
The Russian leader described the drone torpedo as having capabilities that make interception impossible.
Putin claimed Poseidon can travel faster than conventional submarines, dive to extreme depths and reach any continent worldwide.
This marked the second weapons test announcement from Russia within days.
Trump previously criticized Putin following an earlier cruise missile test on Sunday.
He suggested Putin should focus on ending the Ukraine war “instead of testing missiles.”
A planned summit between Trump and Putin in Budapest was cancelled last week.
The United States conducted 1,054 nuclear tests between 1945 and 1992.
America performed the world’s first atomic bomb test in New Mexico on July 16, 1945.
The country also executed two nuclear attacks on Japan during World War II.
The final US nuclear test explosion occurred in September 1992 at the Nevada Nuclear Security Site.
Then-president George H.W. Bush imposed a testing moratorium in October 1992.
Successive US administrations continued the nuclear testing ban through non-nuclear experiments.
Modern testing relies on advanced computer simulations and subcritical experiments.
Trump currently meets with Xi as the leaders of the world’s two largest economies.
This summit represents their first face-to-face meeting during Trump’s second presidential term. – AFP
