US president Donald Trump has directed the War Department, formerly the Department of Defense, to restart the testing of nuclear weapons.
“Because of other countries’ testing programs,” namely Russia and China, “I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis,” the head of state made clear today (30 October) in a post on the social media platform, Truth Social.
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However, Trump did not specify the nature of these renewed nuclear weapons tests, whether they will deploy nuclear warheads, or whether the weapons will be launched by air, sea, or land.
The decision comes just after Russia tested a nuclear-capable and nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile. According to a Kremlin spokesperson, the weapon does not fall under the category of nuclear weapons tests restricted by international treaties.
Just over 30 years ago after the end of the Cold War, the US conducted its last nuclear weapons test around 65 miles north of Las Vegas, where an experimental design, not a standard weapon, was tested.
The US military operate a nuclear triad comprising land-based Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), Trident II submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and strategic bombers.
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By GlobalDataMuch of the stockpile has aged without comprehensive refurbishment which, at a time of deep seated geopolitical division, may prove to be a potential strategic lapse.
The latest Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), issued in 2022, observed that this risk does not serve the country’s interest, prompting Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden to pursue a policy of “responsible stewardship of… nuclear weapons.” This appears to involve modernisation of nuclear weapons, including, for example, the transition from Minuteman III to the LGM-35A Sentinel ICBM.
Power and parity
There are nine countries in the world that possess nuclear weapons at present, in descending order of the size of their capability: Russia, the United States, China, France, the United Kingdom, India, Pakistan, supposedly Israel, and North Korea.
While Trump stated the US has the largest number of nuclear weapons, even if some observers suggest Russia does, Russia meanwhile has the largest number of nuclear warheads.
Collectively, these states have roughly 12,331 nuclear warheads, with more than 9,600 in active military stockpiles, according to the Federation of Atomic Scientists’ 2025 Status of the Worlds Nuclear Forces. While this is a significant decline from the around 70,000 warheads owned by the nuclear-armed states during the Cold War, nuclear arsenals are expected to grow over the coming decade and today’s forces are vastly more capable.
The New START treaty limiting US and Russian nuclear forces will expire on 4 February 2026.
For some, bilateral nuclear arms control imposes unwarranted limits on the size and flexibility of the US nuclear force posture. It could, therefore, impede the US ability to respond to China’s growing nuclear arsenal and Russia’s aggressive posture in Europe.
At the same time, adding China to the process would broaden the benefits of arms control cooperation.
Third nuclear age
The new nuclear age is characterised by adversaries of the US closing the gap in their respective capabilities which Trump himself noted in his post, identifying China as one competitor that is expected to close the gap in the next five years.
The US Department of Defense estimates that China will have more than 1,000 nuclear weapons by 2030. China’s Victory Day parade in early September 2025 revealed five nuclear capabilities that can all reach the continental US.
However, it is particularly unique that this so-called ‘third nuclear age’ has broadened the concept of nuclear deterrence.
According to the NPR, the Biden administration changed its doctrine to dismiss the no-first-use rule, arguing that nuclear deterrence extends to deterrence against non-nuclear – or conventional – forms of attack as well, which the document states can “produce devastating effects” in their own right.
Russia’s hybrid warfare activity has demonstrated this type of conventional strategic effect, from cutting internet cables underwater to developing a nuclear capability to destroy satellites in space.
