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Trump wants to continue nuclear testing after 30-year moratorium

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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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After three decades of nuclear non-proliferation efforts, Donald Trump wants to continue testing and advancing the US’s nuclear weapons on a larger scale. This comes after his claims that other nations are doing so and the need for the US to maintain an equal footing.

Decades ago, nobody would have thought that the President of the United States would turn to social media to announce an initiative that could change the tide on global geopolitics.

Yet, here we are, with Donald Trump announcing on Truth Social that he is instructing the Department of War to resume explosive nuclear testing. He further claimed that such efforts would allow the US to be on ‘equal footing’ with countries China and Russia who he claimed have already undertaken efforts to test their nuclear weapons on a bigger scale.

Though it has not been made an official Presidential order yet, this announcement still took everyone by surprise for the many implications it might have. For starters, towards the end of the Cold War, the US has observed a voluntary moratorium on all explosive nuclear testing since 1992.

Since the 1990s, over 180 countries including Russia and China did the same via the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.  The pact aimed to prohibit any form of nuclear explosion and act as an effective measure against nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.

Post-moratorium nuclear weapon testing

Now, you may be confused. If many of these countries have stopped testing their nuclear weapons, then how are there advancements in the field?

Following the moratorium, many nations including the US have relied on subcritical and non-explosive tests. Additionally, advancements in technology have led to the use of advanced simulations and surveillance of nuclear stockpiles, allowing these countries to maintain and assess the reliability of their nuclear weapons.

Unfortunately, there exists a legal loophole as the US is one of the few countries who have signed but not ratified the treaty. This means that since the nation is not technically legally bound to the treaty, it could as Trump wishes, resume nuclear explosive testing. But, while it may not have legal penalties, it will definitely have diplomatic ones.

Was Trump right about global efforts on nuclear testing?

Now, what makes this situation amusing is that this announcement was posted right before Trump’s high stakes meeting with President Xi Jinping. Unfortunately, the conversations that took place between them regarding this matter remains unknown to us at the moment. Even so, the Chinese government did come forward to deny Trump’s allegations.

While satellite imagery and reports have shown increased activity at Cold War testing sites within both nations, none point to large-scale explosions. China’s last known nuclear explosive test was in 1996, while Russia’s was in 1990. Many countries have not conducted such tests since the 90s, with the only exception being North Korea whose moratorium entered into effect in the 21st century.

Directed by the orders of its Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un, the nation conducted six known tests between 2006 and 2017. Its most powerful test occurred in September of 2017 which official reports claimed was from a hydrogen bomb detonation. This event saw significant seismic activity being detected on a global level.

A year later in 2018, North Korea declared a moratorium on nuclear explosive testing, although it has continued to advance missile programs with threats of nuclear weaponization.

Hence, with no official reports of nuclear explosions globally, Trump’s claims of such testing in other nations are essentially null.


What could happen if the US resumed testing?

Ironically, it isn’t the Department of War as Trump claimed in Truth Social but the Department of Energy that oversees nuclear tests. Energy Secretary Chris Wright clarified that, despite Trump’s claims, upcoming tests would be ‘noncritical’ without explosions. Still, it would be naive to dismiss Trump’s willingness to push boundaries, with all the berserk things he has done in the past year alone.

Resuming explosive nuclear testing after three decades would also mark a sharp reversal of global disarmament progress. Though legally permissible, such action would heighten international tensions and risk igniting a new arms race. In such a situation, other nuclear powers would likely resume their own tests in self-defence, undermining an already fragile global security governed by war and violence.

Trump’s impulsive approach threatens to unravel decades of US leadership in nuclear non-proliferation, which is a pattern consistent with his tendency to dismiss the achievements of past administrations.

This could mean a chain reaction would be triggered, ending the era of international nuclear restraint.

Enjoyed this article? Click here to read more Gen Z focused change stories.

Remote Writer Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Hey, I’m Anyaa, a Behavioral Economist in the making who is currently doing a degree in Psychology. By nature, I’m a journalist who hopes to instigate conversations by sharing the stories and truths that make the world more comprehensible.

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