Weapons Testing

President Trump directed the Pentagon to resume testing nuclear weapons, ending a moratorium that has been in place since 1992.

Context

The US last conducted a nuclear weapons test in September 1992 at the Nevada Test Site in an underground detonation that was code-named “Divider.” President HW Bush implemented a moratorium on such tests as the Cold War concluded, and the US has since relied on computer simulations and small experiments to maintain its arsenal. The US signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty in 1996, though it never ratified the agreement, meaning the country isn't legally bound by it and the moratorium has been voluntary.

Testing Plans

Trump announced the decision on social media just before meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea on Thursday. "Because of other countries’ testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis," Trump wrote.