Donald Trump has ordered the U.S. military to resume nuclear weapons testing for the first time in 33 years, according to a post he made on Truth Social. He claims that such action is necessary, as countries like Russia, China, and North Korea have modernized their nuclear systems in recent years, while the United States has fallen far behind.
Restarting nuclear testing, however, will not be easy, as each test costs around $100 million and U.S. facilities are outdated, factors that could delay the process for months or even years.
Nuclear tests were internationally banned in 1996. The U.S. conducted its last one in 1992, Russia in 1990, and China in 1995, while only one has taken place in the 21st century, by North Korea in 2017.
The announcement marks a reversal of long-standing U.S. policy on nuclear testing. The last American test took place in 1992, before President George H. W. Bush imposed a moratorium as the Cold War was coming to an end in 1996.
No country other than North Korea has conducted a nuclear explosion test in this century, according to the Arms Control Association (ACA), and even Pyongyang announced a suspension of such tests in 2018.
Sources: Τhe Washington Post, BBC
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