File photo of a U.S. LGM-30G Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile inside a silo about 60 miles from Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota.
Universal History Archive | Universal Images Group | Getty Images
U.S. President Donald Trump has instructed the Pentagon to restart nuclear weapons testing “on an equal basis,” citing testing programs by other countries.
In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote: “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.”
It was not immediately clear what Trump meant by “equal basis.” The U.S. has not conducted a live nuclear weapons test since 1992, when then-President George H.W. Bush imposed a unilateral testing moratorium.
In 1996, the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was signed by then-President Bill Clinton.
Trump also claimed in his Truth Social post that the U.S. has the world’s largest nuclear arsenal, adding that Russia and China would match its nuclear weapon stockpile within five years — a statement contradicted by independent data.
According to estimates by the Arms Control Association, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons and the Federation of American Scientists, Russia possesses the most nuclear weapons in the world.
Russia has an estimated 5,459 nuclear weapons in 2025, compared to the U.S.’ 5,177 and China’s 600.
