Comment: This article does a history and analysis of nuclear testing and world wide implications as the New Start Treaty is expiring.
https://thenewamerican.com/us/trump-orders-immediate-start-of-nuclear-weapons-testing/
by Veronika Kyrylenko October 30, 2025
Quote:
On Thursday, President Donald Trump ordered his Department of War “to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis” with Russia and China. “That process will begin immediately,” added the president.
The announcement posted on social media quotes “other countries’ testing programs” as justification, though it did not specify which ones. Russia has not conducted a verified full-scale nuclear explosion since the early 1990s. It continues to test and deploy new delivery systems. China conducted its last known nuclear explosive test in 1996. The country, however, is apparently expanding tunnel networks and support buildings at its Lop Nur test site. It also routinely conducts missile and subcritical experiments. These activities fall short of open nuclear detonations, yet collectively signal renewed competition in nuclear readiness and modernization.
The United States, for its part, has also never stopped testing its nukes — only the method has changed. It has avoided explosive trials, those that produce a self-sustaining chain reaction, since 1992. Instead, the arsenal is maintained through subcritical experiments and high-fidelity computer simulations. Trump’s phrasing left unclear whether he intended to authorize an actual nuclear blast or merely rebrand these ongoing activities under a more aggressive mandate.
Later, however, he signaled that the new tests could go beyond existing methods. Asked where the tests would occur, he said, “It’ll be announced. We have test sites.”
Quote:
The timing of Trump’s announcement comes as arms-control frameworks erode and the New START treaty between the U.S. and Russia nears expiration. Yet, instead of pursuing dialogue and strengthening mutual agreements, Washington is signaling its readiness to raise tensions. That shift also comes amid the rise of advanced military technologies — artificial intelligence, hypersonic weapons, and autonomous systems — that are already beginning to redefine the nature and tempo of warfare.
_____________________________________________________________
Quote:
New START Treaty Verification Measures
| Measures |
Description |
| Onsite Inspections |
The treaty provides for 18 on-site inspections per year for U.S. and Russian inspection teams: Type One inspections focus on sites with deployed and non-deployed strategic systems (up to 10 per year), and Type Two inspections focus on sites with only non-deployed strategic systems (up to 8 per year). Permitted inspection activities include confirming the number of reentry vehicles on one deployed ICBM or SLBM per Type One inspection, counting nuclear weapons onboard or attached to deployed heavy bombers, counting numbers of non-deployed ICBMs and SLBMs, confirming weapon system conversions or eliminations are conducted in the way proposed, and confirming facility eliminations. |
| Warheads Loaded on Specific Strategic Delivery Vehicles |
During inspections of deployed strategic weapon bases/facilities, each side must disclose how many warheads are on each delivery vehicle based at the inspected base, and the inspecting country has the right to inspect the loading on one delivery vehicle (chosen by the inspecting country) to confirm the declaration is accurate. |
| Biannual Data Exchanges |
Each country provides the other with a declaration of its deployed strategic delivery vehicles, launchers and warheads, including: a breakdown of warhead numbers deployed across the three types of delivery vehicles; a breakdown of how many strategic delivery vehicles and warheads are deployed at each declared base. A substantial amount of information is also provided in the periods between biannual exchanges, via treaty-required notifications (see below). |
| Telemetric Information |
To enhance transparency, the Parties annually exchange telemetric information on a parity basis, for up to five ICBM and SLBM launches per year. These measurements of various technical parameters are made to monitor missile performance during ICBM and SLBM flight tests. |
| Strategic Delivery Vehicle and Launcher Notifications |
The treaty provides for rolling notifications regarding the status (i.e., deployed/non‑deployed) and basing or facility assignment of all strategic delivery vehicles and launchers. Notifications for dispersal of mobile ICBMs and ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) patrols are not required. |
| New Types, New Variants, and New Kinds of Treaty‑Accountable Systems |
Declaration and exhibition of new types and new variants of treaty‑accountable systems that enter service. The system would then be subject to data declarations, notifications, and inspections under the treaty. The treaty also provides both sides the opportunity to raise new kinds of Strategic Offensive Arms in the BCC and seek their inclusion under New START. |
| Bilateral Consultative Commission |
The treaty establishes the BCC as a compliance and implementation body that meets at least twice each year unless otherwise agreed. (Note: Due to COVID, the Parties did not convene any BCC meetings in 2020, but continued discussion of BCC matters in diplomatic channels). Compliance or implementation questions may be raised by either Party in the BCC. |
| Ballistic Missile Launches |
The treaty provides for pre‑launch notifications of the launch of treaty‑accountable ballistic missiles (this is also consistent with both Parties’ obligations under their 1988 Ballistic Missile Launch Notification Agreement). |
| Non‑Interference with National Technical Means (NTM) |
The treaty permits the use of national technical means of verification (e.g. satellites) in a manner consistent with international law, and contains explicit provisions that prohibit interference with NTM and the use of concealment measures that may impede monitoring by NTM. |
| Unique Identifiers |
Each ICBM, SLBM, and heavy bomber is assigned a unique identifier, which is included in the applicable notifications and may be confirmed during inspections. |
