The US has not conducted nuclear weapons tests since 1992, but now President Trump wants them to resume, and "immediately".
US President Donald Trump announced that the US will immediately resume nuclear weapons tests. He justified his decision on the Truth Social platform with the test programs of other countries. It is not yet known what kind of tests and what type of weapons are involved. The step was not easy, but there was no other choice, Trump explains.
The US has voluntarily stopped nuclear weapons tests since 1992, ARD recalls. But at the Nevada test site, where the latest tests were conducted, they could be renewed at any time. The German public media also pointed out that Trump's statement could be seen as a deliberate demonstration of US strategic power vis-à-vis Russia and China.
Nine countries have nuclear weapons
Trump's order was announced just before his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea. China is one of the nuclear powers, along with Russia, Britain and France.
The ARD writes that since 1998, no other country except North Korea has conducted nuclear tests. Between 1945 and 1992, the US conducted over 1,000. There were 45 tests in China, the last of which was in 1996. According to the SIPRI Peace Research Institute, there are nine countries that have nuclear weapons. In addition to the four already mentioned, which are permanent members of the UN Security Council, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel also possess nuclear weapons.
Criticism of Trump's statement
The US president's decision immediately sparked criticism from Democrats in Congress. Experts also view it this way. "I don't think tests are necessary to prove the reliability of the US nuclear arsenal", "Wall Street Journal" quotes weapons of mass destruction expert Gary Seymour. He also says: "This would be a gift to Russia and China, who are developing new types of nuclear weapons and would benefit from the resumption of testing".
As ARD notes, the US, even without nuclear weapons testing, has an extensive program to ensure the reliability of its arsenal. It includes computer simulations, tests of nuclear material that do not have chain reactions, and tests of missiles and warhead technology. Some experts believe that this is quite sufficient and that there is no need for testing.