President Donald Trump has called on U.S. military leaders to resume testing U.S. nuclear weapons in order to keep pace with other countries such as Russia and China.
Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis, he wrote on social media just before meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea.
The U.S. has more nuclear weapons than any other country, Trump said, with Russia second and China a distant third. It has not conducted nuclear weapons testing since 1992.
It comes just days after Trump denounced Russia for testing a nuclear-powered missile, which reportedly has an unlimited range.
Later, on Air Force One after the two leaders' meeting, Trump said the nuclear test sites would be determined later.
With others doing testing, I think it's appropriate that we do also, Trump said on his way back to Washington.
No country except North Korea has conducted a nuclear test explosion in this century, according to the Arms Control Association (ACA).
Trump's announcement did not include details of how the tests would occur but wrote the process will begin immediately.
His post acknowledged the tremendous destructive power of nuclear weapons, but he stated he had no choice but to update and renovate the U.S. arsenal during his first term in office.
He also mentioned that China's nuclear program would be even more advanced within five years.
The announcement marks an apparent reversal of a long-standing U.S. policy. The last U.S. nuclear weapons test was in 1992, before former Republican President George HW Bush issued a moratorium as the Cold War ended.
Russia announced over the weekend that it had successfully tested two new weapons capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
These included a missile which the Kremlin said could penetrate U.S. defense systems, and an underwater drone called Poseidon, capable of hitting the American west coast and triggering radioactive ocean swells.
But those tests did not involve the detonation of nuclear weapons.
Trump has said the U.S. has more nuclear weapons than any other country.
The exact number of warheads held by each country is kept secret in each case - but Russia is thought to have a total of about 5,459 warheads while the U.S. has about 5,177, according to the Federation of American Scientists (FAS).
China is the third largest nuclear power with about 600 warheads, followed by France with 290, the United Kingdom with 225, India with 180, Pakistan with 170, Israel with 90, and North Korea with 50, as per FAS reports.
The last nuclear bomb test by the U.S. was conducted on 23 September 1992 at an underground facility in Nevada.
Conclusion: Trump's move to resume nuclear testing has sparked concern and criticism domestically and internationally, potentially leading to a new arms race.
