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By Mandy Taheri and Gabe Whisnant
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President Donald Trump on Friday did not clarify whether the United States plans to resume underground nuclear weapons testing, telling reporters, "You'll find out very soon."
Reporters aboard Air Force One asked the president about his Wednesday social media post directing the Department of Defense to return to nuclear testing, seeking details about what it would look like for the U.S. would resume tests.
“We’re going to do some testing,” Trump said. “Other countries do it. If they’re going to do it, we’re going to.” He declined to provide further details.
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Newsweek reached out to the Pentagon for comment via email on Friday.
Why It Matters
On Wednesday night, Trump wrote on Truth Social: "Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately." His post specifically referenced Russian and Chinese nuclear stockpiles.
The U.S. last conducted a nuclear weapons test in 1992. Years later, in 1996, the U.S. signed onto the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, which "bans all nuclear test explosions, whether for military or civilian purposes."
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What To Know
Aboard Air Force One on the way to Florida, Trump echoed recent sentiments that the U.S. should resume nuclear testing after a more than three-decade pause.
Russian, Chinese and Iranian nuclear capabilities have long been a concern of the U.S. and other allied nations. The U.S. is the only country to have deployed nuclear weapons in combat, with the 1945 World War II bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan.
Trump has claimed other countries are testing nuclear weapons. Russia recently tested nuclear-capable delivery systems, not conducted nuclear explosive tests.
The Federation of American Scientists estimates that the U.S. has a nuclear stockpile of about 3,700 warheads, with about 1,700 deployed, while the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) puts the total U.S. inventory at 5,177, with Russia at 5,459. SIPRI notes that "Russia and the USA together possess around 90 percent of all nuclear weapons." The United States and the Soviet Union engaged in a nuclear arms race during the Cold War.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday that the Pentagon is moving "quickly" on Trump's directive. He said during a meeting with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that the department will work with the Department of Energy on nuclear testing, saying that the "president was clear. We need a credible nuclear deterrent.”
Hegseth continued: “That is the baseline of our deterrence, and so having understanding and resuming testing is a pretty responsible, very responsible, way to do that. I think it makes nuclear conflict less likely if you know what you have and make sure it operates properly.
“So it’s the right directive. We’re moving out quickly, and America will ensure that we have the strongest, most capable nuclear arsenal, so that we maintain peace through strength.”
Trump's comments have drawn backlash and some confusion among critics and nuclear experts.
What People Are Saying
Senator Mark Kelly, an Arizona Democrat, on X on Thursday: "New nuclear tests are unnecessary escalation by a President who doesn’t seem to be paying attention. The Chinese and the Russians HAVEN’T conducted a recent test of a nuclear warhead. It’s been decades. If we resume testing our weapons (which we have no reason to do) China will likely begin a test program. This only helps them advance their technology and start an arms race. Read your briefing materials, Mr. President."
Corey Hinderstein, vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for Nuclear Peace, told NPR: "I think a decision to resume nuclear testing would be extremely dangerous and would do more to benefit our adversaries than the United States."
Ernest Moniz, American nuclear physicist, former secretary of energy, and CEO of The Nuclear Threat Initiative, in a statement on Thursday: "If explosive testing were to resume, it would mark the end of a three-decade-long moratorium on U.S. nuclear testing. Testing nuclear weapons is unnecessary for U.S. national security, unwise because it will invite our adversaries to do the same, and unwelcome in communities close to the test site."
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, on X on Thursday: "Having rebranded its 'Department of Defense' as the 'Department of War,' a nuclear-armed bully is resuming testing of atomic weapons. The same bully has been demonizing Iran's peaceful nuclear program and threatening further strikes on our safeguarded nuclear facilities, all in blatant violation of international law. Make no mistake: The U.S. is the World’s Most Dangerous Proliferation Risk. The announcement of a resumption of nuclear tests is a regressive and irresponsible move and a serious threat to international peace and security. The world must unite to hold the U.S. accountable for normalizing the proliferation of such heinous weapons."
This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
Update 10/31/25, 2:35 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 10/31/25, 1:27 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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