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WASHINGTON, October 31. /TASS/. A full-scale resumption of nuclear testing in the United States might take years, The Washington Post reported, citing former employees of the Nevada Test Site. The newspaper notes that US President Donald Trump's statement about the immediate resumption of nuclear testing "has drawn confusion and alarm from some experts." They explained that the "experience in physical testing has been lost" for the US, as it has not taken place for over three decades. Modern nuclear tests are carried out through computer simulations or constitute so-called subcritical tests, which are basically non-nuclear explosive experiments. In addition, the Nevada site requires major repairs, and experts who recently visited the facility described the testing equipment there as a "rust pit." The lack of personnel may be another problem, as many test site employees have already left the facility or been laid off, and those who remain are not receiving their salaries due to the ongoing government shutdown in the US. On October 29, Trump announced that he had instructed the Pentagon to immediately resume nuclear weapons testing. He did not specify what kind of trials he was referring to or whether they would involve detonating nuclear warheads. The US administration acknowledges that a presidential directive remains in effect requiring the country to maintain technical readiness for a full-scale nuclear test. The last underground nuclear explosion at the Nevada Test Site took place on September 23, 1992. Former NNSA Administrator Jill Hruby confirmed to TASS in November 2024 that there is no technical necessity for the United States to resume nuclear testing, despite renewed calls to do so. Between 1951 and 1992, the United States conducted both above-ground and underground nuclear weapons tests — more than 900 in total, most of them underground — at the Nevada Test Site, located about 104 kilometers northwest of Las Vegas. The above-ground tests caused serious health problems for Americans who lived and worked nearby. Russia’s stance, debate in US Vladimir Yermakov, Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department for Non-Proliferation and Arms Control, told TASS in an interview last February that several indirect signs indicate Washington may still be preparing to resume full-scale nuclear testing. The Russian leadership has repeatedly warned that if the US takes this step, Moscow will be forced to respond in kind. In an April interview with TASS, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu did not rule out the possibility of Russia resuming nuclear testing in response to similar moves by the United States.
