Donald Trump orders nuclear weapons programme ramp-up with immediate testing: ‘China will be even in 5 years’

US to test nuclear weapons after three decades

United States conducted a nuclear weapons test last in 1992 under President George H W Bush. After the Cold War ended, Bush ordered a temporary stop on nuclear weapons tests. Trump’s order will reverse the policy standing for 30 years.

“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,” Trump said in his Truth Social post.

“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 said.

Which countries have nuclear weapons?

According to International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) nations that host nuclear weapons stockpiles are Russia, United States, China, France, United Kingdom, Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea. ICAN is an alliance of organisations from various countries which support the United Nations’ treaty on nuclear weapons ban. ICAN won the Nobel Peace Prize, an award that Trump desperately seeks, in 2017.

As per the ICAN, Russia has the highest nuclear weapons stockpile of 5,500 warheads followed by the US, which has 5,044 nuclear warheads. The US hosts its weapons within its territory as well as in five other nations — Turkey, Italy, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.

China ranks a distant third with 600 warheads. France comes in fourth with 290 warheads. It is followed by the United Kingdom, which has 225 nuclear weapons. India and Pakistan follow close behind with 180 and 172 warheads, respectively. Israel and North Korea are ranked eighth and ninth with 90 and 50 warheads.

What does the UN ‘Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons’ say?

Adopted in 2017, the united Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) is the first global agreement to comprehensively ban the development, testing, possession, or use of nuclear arms. It was supported by 122 nations at the UN. The treaty aims for total nuclear disarmament and assistance for victims of nuclear testing. It officially entered into force in January 2021 after being ratified by 50 countries.

The treaty statement reads: “The TPNW is comprehensive set of prohibitions on participating in any nuclear weapon activities. These include undertakings not to develop, test, produce, acquire, possess, stockpile, use or threaten to use nuclear weapons. The Treaty also prohibits the deployment of nuclear weapons on national territory and the provision of assistance to any State in the conduct of prohibited activities.”