"Due to other countries' testing programs, I have ordered the Department of War to begin testing our nuclear weapons on equal terms," Trump writes on Truth Social.
However, the US nuclear arsenal is managed by the Department of Energy and a nuclear energy agency within it, not the Department of Defense.
The US military regularly tests missiles that can be armed with nuclear weapons, but has not tested a nuclear weapon since 1992. Exactly what type of testing Trump is referring to is unclear, but the statement suggests that some type of change is necessary because other countries are testing weapons.
Development projects
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the country had successfully tested a nuclear-capable missile designed to reach targets around the globe. A few days later, claims emerged that the country had successfully tested an underwater drone, which could also be armed with nuclear weapons.
In addition, both China and North Korea have announced investments in the nuclear segment.
Russia's tests have been criticized by the US government, with President Donald Trump calling them "inappropriate." Russia is currently believed to have six nuclear weapons development projects underway, The New York Times reports.
Warning of destabilization
In his post on Truth Social, the American president states that China is expected to catch up with the United States and Russia within five years in terms of nuclear weapons capabilities.
In February this year, experts warned in an article in the journal Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS) that a resumption of the US nuclear weapons testing program could trigger an uncontrolled chain of events that could destabilize global security and accelerate a new arms race.
A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that China hopes the United States will continue to abide by the global ban on nuclear weapons tests.
