**President Trump Declines to Confirm Plans for Resuming Underground Nuclear Tests**
*ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP)* — President Donald Trump declined on Friday to say whether he plans to resume underground nuclear detonation tests, despite earlier social media comments that raised concerns about the U.S. potentially restarting nuclear weapons testing for the first time in three decades.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while en route to Florida for a weekend stay, the president said, “You’ll find out very soon,” when asked if he intended to resume underground tests. However, he did not provide further details.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth offered few specifics when questioned about the Pentagon’s role in any potential nuclear testing, but he seemed to indicate that the goal was to test warheads. He described “resuming testing” as “pretty responsible,” emphasizing the importance of maintaining a credible nuclear deterrent.
“We’re going to do some testing,” Trump said. “Other countries do it. If they’re going to do it, we’re going to.” Despite these statements, he refused to elaborate further.
The president’s comments have caused confusion both inside and outside the government. His earlier social media post suggested the U.S. might resume nuclear warhead tests on an “equal basis” with Russia and China, whose last known tests occurred in the 1990s. However, some of Trump’s remarks appeared to refer to testing missile delivery systems rather than detonating warheads themselves.
To date, there has been no indication that the U.S. plans to detonate nuclear warheads again. While the U.S. military regularly tests missiles capable of delivering nuclear payloads, it has not conducted nuclear detonation tests since 1992.
The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), which the U.S. signed but never ratified, has been observed by all nuclear-armed countries except North Korea since its adoption. The Pentagon did not respond to requests for comment, and the Department of Energy — responsible for overseeing the U.S. nuclear stockpile — declined to comment on Friday.
Speaking at a meeting of defense ministers in Malaysia alongside the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit, Secretary Hegseth stressed cooperation between the Pentagon and Energy Department. “The president was clear: We need to have a credible nuclear deterrent,” he said. “That is the baseline of our deterrence.”
Hegseth added, “Resuming testing is a pretty responsible — very responsible — way to do that. And I think it makes nuclear conflict less likely.” He reiterated, “It’s the right directive. We’re moving out quickly.”
These developments come in the wake of Russia’s recent announcement that it tested a new atomic-powered and nuclear-capable underwater drone, as well as a new nuclear-powered cruise missile. Following Trump’s comments, the Kremlin emphasized that it has not tested nuclear weapons and continues to abide by the global ban on nuclear testing.
However, Russia warned that if the U.S. resumes testing its nuclear weapons, it would respond in kind — a move that risks reigniting Cold War-era tensions.
Meanwhile, Vice Adm. Richard Correll, Trump’s nominee to lead the military command responsible for the nation’s nuclear arsenal, struggled to interpret the president’s statements during a Capitol Hill hearing Thursday. When pressed by senators, Correll said, “I’m not reading anything into it or reading anything out of it.”
As the situation unfolds, officials and analysts alike await further clarity on the future of U.S. nuclear testing policies.
https://whdh.com/news/trump-declines-to-clarify-if-the-us-will-conduct-tests-of-its-nuclear-weapons/