OAN Staff Blake Wolf
10:50 AM – Thursday, October 30, 2025
President Donald Trump announced this week that he has ordered the Pentagon, under the Department of War, to begin testing U.S. nuclear weapons “on an equal basis” with America’s adversaries.
Prior to his highly anticipated meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, President Trump made the announcement in a Truth Social post.
“The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country. This was accomplished, including a complete update and renovation of existing weapons, during my First Term in office. Because of the tremendous destructive power, I HATED to do it, but had no choice!”
“Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within 5 years. 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 added.
The last confirmed testing of a nuclear weapon by the United States was in 1992, during an underground test called “Divider” in Nevada.
Former Trump national security advisor Robert C. O’Brien previously encouraged Trump, during his 2024 campaign, to resume nuclear weapons testing — should he win the 2024 presidential election, writing a letter explaining his advocacy.
“Washington must test new nuclear weapons for reliability and safety in the real world for the first time since 1992—not just by using computer models,” O’Brien wrote in a Foreign Affairs magazine article in June of last year.
“If China and Russia continue to refuse to engage in good-faith arms control talks, the United States should also resume production of uranium-235 and plutonium-239, the primary fissile isotopes of nuclear weapons,” he added.
Trump’s announcement appears to counter Russia’s recent test of the 9M730 Burevestnik, a nuclear-powered, nuclear-armed cruise missile that reportedly traveled 8,700 miles. Reuters reported the test on Sunday, noting that the low-flying weapon—under development for Russia’s armed forces—has an “unlimited” range, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.
President Trump described Russia’s Burevenstnik test as “inappropriate” amid the United States’ push to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
“I don’t think it’s an appropriate thing for Putin. For Putin to be saying either, by the way, you ought to get the war ended. A war that should have taken one week is now in its, soon, fourth year, that’s what you ought to do instead of testing missiles,” Trump stated on Monday.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin has since denied accusations that it was testing nuclear weapons, claiming that the Burevestnik missile test is “not a nuclear test in any way.”
“All countries are developing their defense systems, but this is not a nuclear test,” stated Dmitry Peskov, a Putin spokesperson, adding that if any country withdraws from the nuclear testing moratorium, Russia would “act accordingly.”
Despite Peskov’s statement, Russia also announced the testing of Moscow’s nuclear-powered Poseidon torpedo, which is essentially a long-range underwater drone with the capability of carrying a nuclear warhead.
“The power of Poseidon far exceeds that of our most advanced intercontinental missile, Sarmat. There’s nothing like it in the world,” Putin stated, just hours before Trump’s order.
“This is really a very powerful type of weapon that is capable of incapacitating or disabling entire states from war. There is no antidote and countermeasures against it today. No one has analogues today,” added Russian State Duma Defense Committee Chairman Andrei Kartapolov.
Meanwhile, China has also been rapidly expanding its nuclear stockpile, despite not officially testing a nuclear weapon since 1996. China’s arsenal has grown from an estimated 500 warheads in early 2024 to over 600 by mid-2025, adding roughly 100 warheads annually since 2023, the fastest growth rate among nuclear-armed states. U.S. officials project it will exceed 1,000 by 2030 and continue expanding through at least 2035.
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