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Enter your email Sign UpSee all newsletters Have you got a story to share?Submit a story Read your local paperNew PerthNow edition out every week Get the FREE App All WA News Entertainment All Entertainment Celebrity Gossip Influencers Tinnie of the Week All Lifestyle Cash Confessions Love & Relationships Real Estate Personal Finance Home & Garden Family Life Beauty & Style Health & Fitness All ShopNow Home & Garden Electronics About PerthNow Printed paper locations Digital editions OpinionCamera IconCritics warn the announcement could "trigger a chain reaction of nuclear testing by US adversaries". (AP PHOTO) Credit: AAP Trump tells Pentagon to resume testing nuclear weapons Trevor Hunnicutt, Ismail Shakil and Kanishka SinghReuters 30 October 2025, 10:24am Share story US President Donald Trump has ordered the US military to immediately resume testing nuclear weapons after a gap of 33 years, minutes before beginning a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump made the surprise announcement on Truth Social while on his way to meet Xi on Thursday for a trade session in Busan, South Korea. He said he had instructed the Pentagon to test the US nuclear arsenal on an "equal basis" with other nuclear powers. "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," Trump posted. "Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within 5 years." A senior Russian MP said Trump's decision would herald a new era of unpredictability and open confrontation, state news agency RIA reported. China's foreign ministry called for the US to abide by its commitment to a moratorium on nuclear testing and uphold the global strategic balance and stability. It was not immediately clear whether Trump was referring to nuclear-explosive testing, which would be carried out by the National Nuclear Security Administration, or flight testing of nuclear-capable missiles. No nuclear power, other than North Korea, has carried out explosive testing in more than 25 years. Later, on his way back to Washington, Trump said testing was needed to ensure the US kept up with its rival nuclear powers. "With others doing testing, I think it's appropriate that we do also," Trump said on board Air Force One, adding that nuclear test sites would be determined later. Asked whether the world was entering a more risky phase around nuclear weapons, Trump dismissed the threat, saying US stocks were "well locked up" before adding he would welcome denuclearisation. "I'd like to see a denuclearisation because we have so many and Russia's second and China's third and China will catch up within four or five years," he said. Trump's decision to restart nuclear weapons testing follows a rapid expansion by China of its nuclear stockpile in recent years, and comes just after Russia announced what it called a successful test of a nuclear-powered and nuclear-capable cruise missile as well as a nuclear-powered torpedo. Beijing has more than doubled the size of its arsenal to an estimated 600 nuclear weapons in 2025 from 300 weapons in 2020, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank. It said US military officials estimate that China will have more than 1000 nuclear weapons by 2030. The Washington-based Arms Control Association says the United States has a stockpile of 5225 nuclear warheads and Russia has 5580. The reaction to Trump's announcement on testing was swift. US House member Dina Titus, a Democrat, said on X: "I'll be introducing legislation to put a stop to this." Daryl Kimball, director of the Arms Control Association, said on X that "Trump is misinformed and out of touch. The US has no technical, military, or political reason to resume nuclear explosive testing for the first time since 1992." Trump's announcement could "trigger a chain reaction of nuclear testing by US adversaries, and blow apart the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty". Share story Tags:Politics You might like Brave MP steps up as Daniel's legacy set in law Tanzanians told to stay home after chaotic election Nature reforms have been introduced. What happens next? News to your inboxEnter your email for the latest news and updates. Enter your email Get the newsletterBy providing us with your details, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Statement. You might like Brave MP steps up as Daniel's legacy set in law Tanzanians told to stay home after chaotic election Nature reforms have been introduced. What happens next? 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