Trump instructs Pentagon to resume nuclear weapons testing

Speaking to journalists aboard Air Force One following his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea, Trump said the decision “had to do with others,” without specifying which countries he was referring to, News.Az reports, citing CNBC.

“They seem to all be nuclear testing. We have more nuclear weapons than anybody. We don’t do testing ... But with others doing testing, I think it’s appropriate that we do also,” he said, adding that details on the planned tests would be announced later.

Before his meeting with Xi, Trump wrote on Truth Social that “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.”

It was not immediately clear what Trump meant by “equal basis.” The Department of Defense was rebranded the Department of War on Sept. 5 under an executive order, though Congress has not approved the change.

The announcement followed reports that Russia had successfully tested a Poseidon nuclear-powered super torpedo on Wednesday.

“For the first time, we managed not only to launch it with a launch engine from a carrier submarine, but also to launch the nuclear power unit on which this device passed a certain amount of time,” Russian President Vladimir Putin was quoted as saying.

Moscow also tested its new Burevestnik nuclear cruise missile on Oct. 21 and conducted nuclear launch drills a day later.