In a move that has reignited global debate over nuclear weapons, President Donald Trump announced the United States will resume nuclear weapons testing for the first time in more than three decades. The decision, shared Thursday on Truth Social, came shortly before his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea.
“Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis,” Trump wrote, according to Reuters. “That process will begin immediately.”
The order marks a historic break from a long-standing moratorium observed by the U.S. since 1992—a pause that symbolized a fragile commitment to peace among the world’s major powers. The last explosive nuclear test by the United States occurred in the Nevada desert 33 years ago.
A Global Shift in Nuclear Posture
Trump’s decision comes amid rising military tensions between nuclear powers. Russia recently tested new nuclear-capable weapons, while China, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, has “more than doubled the size of its arsenal to an estimated 600 nuclear weapons in 2025 from 300 weapons in 2020.”
The President suggested the tests were necessary to maintain balance, telling reporters aboard Air Force One, “With others doing testing, I think it’s appropriate that we do also.” He added that test sites “would be determined later.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded that Russia “didn’t know that anyone was testing,” while China’s Foreign Ministry urged the U.S. to uphold its previous commitment to the moratorium and maintain “global strategic balance and stability,” Reuters reported.
Reactions and Warnings
Not everyone in the United States agreed with the move. Representative Dina Titus of Nevada condemned the decision, writing on X that she would “be introducing legislation to put a stop to this.” Daryl Kimball, director of the Arms Control Association, cautioned that resuming tests could “trigger a chain reaction of nuclear testing by U.S. adversaries, and blow apart the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.”
According to the same report, Kimball noted it would take “at least 36 months” for the U.S. to prepare a contained underground test in Nevada.
A Catholic Reflection on Power and Peace
For Catholics, this moment raises deep moral and theological questions. The Church has long taught that the possession and use of nuclear weapons contradict the call to peace. In 2017, Pope Francis declared that “the very possession of nuclear weapons is to be firmly condemned,” emphasizing the moral responsibility of nations to pursue disarmament.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that “the accumulation of arms strikes many as a paradoxically suitable way of deterring potential adversaries,” but warns that such deterrence “does not ensure peace and cannot justify spending enormous sums for new weapons.”
Trump’s statement that he would “welcome denuclearisation” may offer a glimmer of hope. Yet, his simultaneous assertion that “we have so many and Russia’s second and China’s third” underscores the dangerous competition that continues to shape international relations.
A Call to Moral Leadership
In a world “thirsting for peace,” as Pope Leo XIV recently told global leaders, the renewed pursuit of nuclear strength threatens to deepen fear and division rather than foster safety. The decision to resume testing invites Catholics everywhere to pray for discernment among world leaders, and to advocate for policies rooted not in power, but in the sanctity of human life and the common good.
As the Holy See has repeatedly affirmed in global forums, peace is not secured through weapons, but through trust, justice, and dialogue. In this uncertain moment, that truth rings louder than ever.
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