Overview
- The White House announcement reverses a U.S. halt on explosive tests in place since 1992, even as historical records show only North Korea has detonated in recent decades with Russia and China abstaining since the 1990s.
- Vice President J.D. Vance defended the policy as a way to confirm weapon performance while acknowledging there are no current doubts about operability.
- Brandon Williams, nominated to oversee nuclear programs, told his confirmation hearing he did not recommend resuming tests and urged reliance on existing scientific evidence.
- Security analysts caution that restarting tests could provide political cover for Russia and China to follow suit, while the U.S. would need to rebuild degraded Nevada test infrastructure after three idle decades.
- The shift comes as the last U.S.–Russia arms-control limits near expiration, and experts argue testing would undermine the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty’s long-standing de facto norm and increase strategic instability.