Khaberni - In a shift that repositions nuclear deterrence at the heart of international discussion, President Donald Trump directed the Pentagon to begin "testing" nuclear weapons on an "equivalent basis" with Russia and China.
The statement raised questions about the nature of these tests and the possibility of their return after decades of moratorium, amidst notable Russian activity in testing nuclear or nuclear-capable systems like the "Poseidon" torpedo and recently announced cruise missiles, while Beijing continues its rapid expansion in strategic stockpiles without reverting to public explosions since 1996.
Trump's comments come after Russia's display of nuclear weapons a few days ago, where it stated in separate announcements that it had tested two weapons powered by nuclear energy capable of carrying nuclear warheads, despite President Vladimir Putin refraining from conducting or carrying out a nuclear explosion.
Nuclear silence
The United States, Russia, or China have not conducted live nuclear weapons tests since the 1990s.
Since 1945, more than 2000 nuclear explosion tests have been conducted globally, according to the Arms Control Association, but most countries, except North Korea, have ceased their testing since the 1990s.
The United States, Russia, and China are signatories of the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, which prohibits "any nuclear weapon test explosion or any other nuclear explosion".
However, the treaty has not entered into force because many key states, including the United States, have not ratified it, and in 2023 Russia withdrew its ratification, citing Washington's non-ratification.
In its report, the "Washington Post" provided an overview of what to know about the history of nuclear weapons testing in Russia, China, and the United States.
Russia
The last time Russia conducted an official nuclear weapon test was in 1990 while the Soviet Union was still existing.
However, there have been claims of significant violations, with a senior American official in Trump's first administration stating that Russia "likely" conducted secret tests of low-yield nuclear weapons.
In 2019, Lieutenant General Robert P. Ashley Jr., while serving as Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, stated, "The United States believes that Russia may not be adhering to the nuclear testing moratorium in a manner consistent with the zero-yield standard."
Before Trump's recent announcement, President Vladimir Putin said that Russian forces had successfully tested a nuclear-powered torpedo named "Poseidon," noting that it was unlike any other torpedo in terms of "speed and operating depth" and that there was "no way to intercept it."
This came after Putin on Sunday praised the successful test of a nuclear-powered cruise missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads, prompting criticism from Trump, who said Russia should focus on ending its war in Ukraine.
China
While the last known nuclear weapon test conducted by China was in 1996; Beijing has taken steps to significantly increase its nuclear weapons stockpile in recent years.
Independent analysts have noted that China's moves were among the "largest and fastest modernization campaigns" among the nine known nuclear weapon states.
Last year, the U.S. Department of War (Pentagon) estimated that China would surpass 1000 warheads by 2030, while the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimates it has about 600 warheads. These numbers are still much less than the United States and Russia, which the Institute estimates to have about 3700 and 4300 heads respectively.
Nevertheless, China has always affirmed its support for halting nuclear tests under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. Days ago, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Geng Shuang, stated that China has "sincerely respected its pause in nuclear testing" and that it would work with all parties to support the treaty.
United States
The United States of America conducted more than 1000 nuclear explosion tests between 1945 and 1992, most of them underground.
In 1945, during World War II, the United States conducted the first atomic bomb test in Alamogordo, New Mexico.
The United States remains the only country to have used atomic bombs as an act of war, having dropped them on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, leading to widespread deaths and destruction.
The last comprehensive nuclear test conducted by the United States was in Nevada in 1992, where President George H.W. Bush later that year declared a voluntary cessation of nuclear weapons testing.
In 1996, President Bill Clinton signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, which prohibits "any nuclear weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosion."
In statements to the "Washington Post" on Wednesday, one expert stated that the United States would need at least 36 months of preparation before resuming any confined underground nuclear tests at its former test site in Nevada.
