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5h ago

Trump Won't Rule Out Underground Nuclear Tests After Ordering 'Immediate' Restart

With no technical details from the administration, the scope and timing of any testing remain unresolved.

FILE - A mushroom cloud rises from a test blast at the Nevada Test Site on June 24, 1957. (U.S. Energy Department via AP, File)
A sub-surface atomic test is shown March 23, 1955, at the Nevada Test Site near Yucca Flats, Nevada. In Truth Social post President Donald Trump said that "because of other countries testing programs," he has instructed the Pentagon to resume testing nuclear weapons. (US ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION VIA AP/FILE)
Trump's announcement on restarting US nuclear testing has raised more questions than it's answered.

Overview

  • Pressed on Air Force One, Trump said “You’ll find out very soon” when asked about underground detonations and added the U.S. will “do some testing.”
  • The United Nations declared nuclear testing “can never be permitted,” citing the disastrous legacy of more than 2,000 blasts worldwide.
  • Officials have not clarified whether “testing” means explosive warhead detonations or routine trials of delivery systems, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon would work with the Energy Department without offering specifics.
  • Explosive nuclear testing is overseen by the Department of Energy’s NNSA, and experts say restarting underground blasts would likely take years despite the president’s call for an immediate process.
  • The Kremlin said recent Russian drills were not nuclear explosions, and analysts challenged Trump’s assertion that the U.S. has the largest stockpile, noting estimates that Russia holds slightly more warheads.