By announcing his order to resume nuclear testing, US President Donald Trump has once again brought the practice of nuclear weapons testing to the forefront of discussion. This announcement came on social media just as he was entering a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea. The order has sparked considerable pushback from Russia, China, and various international organizations, especially given the United States’ historical context regarding nuclear testing.
From July 16, 1945, until the end of US testing in 1992, the US detonated 1,054 nuclear bombs. The first of these tests was conducted in New Mexico on July 16, 1945 – the Trinity test. The impacts of the US’ last nuclear test explosion in September 1992 included a very robust 20-kiloton underground detonation at the Nevada Nuclear Security Site. Since then, the United States has refrained from conducting any nuclear test explosions. This decision originates from a moratorium ordered by President George H.W. Bush in October 1992 and has been maintained by each subsequent administration since.
In his latest nuclear pronouncement, Trump has said the US has “more nuclear weapons than any other country.” Fact check: FALSE. He considers this the greatest accomplishment of what he considers his first term as president. He emphasized the need for the US to keep pace with other nations that may be advancing their nuclear capabilities.
“President Trump mentioned in his statement that other countries are engaged in testing nuclear weapons. Until now, we didn’t know that anyone was testing,” said Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for the Kremlin.
The response from Russia has been especially sharp. Although Russia holds such military exercises involving nuclear-capable systems on a routine basis, Peskov stressed that these types of exercises don’t amount to nuclear tests. In addition, no nuclear power other than North Korea in 2017 has done explosive nuclear testing in over a quarter of a century. This context underscores the importance of Trump’s order, particularly in light of the international consensus on supporting nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.
The US has signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) since its inception in 1996. This treaty bans any and all nuclear test explosions, whether for military purposes or peaceful civilian ends. Hundreds of countries around the world have adopted these values. If the US unconditionally returns to testing, this would endanger the continuity of global nuclear norms.
In light of Trump’s establishment—indeed, proclaiming—of the United States’ excellent isolation, international observers are concerned about the signal this sends for international security and U.S. diplomatic relations. Trump’s statement reveals that he is prepared to pursue American nuclear superiority in negotiations with Russia. In addition to ensuring multilateralism and establishing consequences, he stressed that China would be welcome at such conversations if the following were true. How effective these discussions are, if at all, has become increasingly questionable as confrontation between the world’s great powers has reached new and dangerous levels.
The specter of the US possibly resuming nuclear testing has led to warnings to avoid such escalation from many sides. Critics caution that a return to testing would lead to an arms race. They worry it will enfeeble current treaties and roll back years of work to lessen the threat of nuclear arms.
