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“President Donald Trump reaffirmed on Friday that the U.S. would resume nuclear testing, but he did not answer directly when asked whether that would include underground nuclear tests that were common during the Cold War. ‘You'll find out very soon, but we're going to do some testing,’ Trump told reporters… ‘Other countries do it. If they're (going) to do it, we're going to do it, OK?’ Trump on Thursday said he ordered the U.S. military to immediately restart the process for testing nuclear weapons after a halt of 33 years, a move that appeared to be a message to rival nuclear powers China and Russia.” Reuters
“The nuclear weapons testing ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump will not involve nuclear explosions at this time, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Sunday. ‘I think the tests we’re talking about right now are system tests,’ Wright said in an interview with Fox News. ‘These are not nuclear explosions. These are what we call non-critical explosions.’” Reuters
The left opposes resuming nuclear testing, arguing that it is dangerous and unnecessary.
“During his first term it was reported that, when it was explained in a Pentagon briefing that the U.S. once had over 30,000 nuclear warheads and only had a tenth of that now, Trump apparently didn’t realize there had been successful arms control agreements going back 50 years. On more than one occasion he asked why he couldn’t have as many nuclear weapons as previous presidents had… Eight years later, the problem is that there’s no one around to school him anymore.”
Heather Digby Parton, Salon
“[Since 1992] only one country has exploded fission bombs (North Korea, six times). The eight other nuclear powers have instead abided by the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, which 187 countries have signed. Because the US, Russia, China and several others have yet to ratify the treaty, it isn’t technically in force. But for three decades, a de facto moratorium on testing has held up… What would happen if the US started testing again?”
Andreas Kluth, Bloomberg
“The president’s ambiguity is worrisome not only because America’s public can’t know what he means, but because America’s adversaries don’t. The vague statement could be received in Beijing and Moscow in the most literal terms — even if not intended that way — ushering us all toward a new reality in which resuming nuclear testing is an open question, rather than a closed chapter…
“There’s a human risk to resuming testing as well. In virtually every place nuclear weapons have been tested, evidence of chronic illnesses and cancers has surfaced in the surrounding populations… The president has routinely said he wants fewer nuclear weapons in the world, not more. His words and actions, however, raise questions about how serious he is about it.”
W.J. Hennigan, New York Times
“The U.S. has conducted 1,054 explosive tests of nuclear weapons beginning with the world’s very first test of an atomic bomb in 1945. This is more than all other nations combined have exploded. As a result, the nation has a vast scientific understanding of the dynamics of nuclear fission (the splitting of atoms), nuclear fusion (the fusing of atoms) and the complex hydrodynamics of the hot plasma created in the first microseconds of a nuclear detonation…
“Using that data and ever-advancing supercomputers, we can now simulate nuclear explosions without an actual physical explosion… Banning nuclear tests was not just the right moral and humane choice, but it also locked in an American advantage in nuclear knowledge. Resuming nuclear testing would allow other nations to catch up.”
Joseph Cirincione, MSNBC
The right supports resuming nuclear testing, arguing that it is necessary to counter Russia and China.
The right supports resuming nuclear testing, arguing that it is necessary to counter Russia and China.
“Trump’s resumption of physical, underground tests provides three benefits: First, they prove the effective function of nuclear weapons. While simulations give a very good probability of a weapon’s viability, physical tests are the gold standard. This is particularly valuable for newer weapons such as the smaller-yield W76-2 nuclear warhead. Second, new tests will provide technical insight that will help toward improvements and refinements. Third, tests teach adversaries that Trump will match their nuclear escalation…
“The president’s announcement comes after years of covert Chinese and Russian weapons testing conducted through multiple methods and at underground sites. Despite repeated denials from Moscow and Beijing, U.S. intelligence is well aware of these activities… China is rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal to match American and Russian stockpiles.”
Editorial Board, Washington Examiner
“The argument that testing will raise international tensions doesn’t make much sense. What is Russia going to do if we conduct a nuclear test? Invade Ukraine? Certainly, India, Pakistan and North Korea haven’t been dissuaded from having active nuclear programs. ‘Please, start to like us — and don’t develop your own nuclear weapons — because we don’t do nuclear tests’ isn’t a compelling argument…
“More to the point, both Russia and China have been developing new warheads and delivery vehicles. So they acquired new weapons while we were testing, and now have been acquiring new weapons while we haven’t been testing… These are countries that will do whatever they consider in their interest, regardless of how much we might like to think the moral example of our testing moratorium is affecting their behavior.”
Rich Lowry, New York Post
“[Trump’s critics] are especially concerned that he’s violating the New START treaty… But that treaty is in tatters. Russia called it quits in 2023. Neither country has let the other inspect any nuclear facility in years, and the agreement is set to expire in February, with no option for renewal. More importantly, China, the world’s most nuke-hungry state, has never been a part of this pact – or any other nuclear nonproliferation treaty, for that matter…
“One of two things can happen: either Putin and Xi see Trump’s threat and de-escalate – in which case we get peace – or they ignore him and continue their current nuclear trajectory – in which case it would certainly be good for Americans to know whether those nuclear-launch buttons actually work.”
Freddy Gray, Spectator World
