Trump’s Directive on Nuclear Testing Sparks Global Concerns
The recent directive by President Donald Trump for the Defense Department to “immediately begin” nuclear weapons testing has sent ripples of concern through the international community. This announcement comes as Trump was overseas, shortly before a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The Pentagon has remained tight-lipped, offering no further details beyond directing inquiries to Trump’s post on Truth Social.
Historically, the United States has conducted over 1,000 nuclear tests, predominantly at the Nevada Test Site, with many being above-ground explosions. However, such activities have been halted since a 1992 congressional moratorium.
“We can’t fully rule it out, that would be extremely provocative,” said Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association. “No other country in the world has conducted a nuclear test explosion in this century – except for North Korea.”
The 1963 Test Ban Treaty, signed by the U.S., Soviet Union, and Great Britain, prohibits all atmospheric, outer space, and underwater nuclear tests, though it allows underground detonations. Any move to resume testing could potentially ignite a new global arms race, particularly with nations like Russia and China.
Kimball remarked on the potential ramifications: “I don’t think people need to fear mushroom clouds on the desert floor outside of Las Vegas, but the very notion of resuming nuclear testing, in my view, is a disrespectful slap in the face to those who in the past have suffered from radiation poisoning from nuclear testing fallouts in the Mountain West.”
Leslie Begay, a former Navajo uranium miner and Vietnam veteran, has firsthand experience of the health impacts of radiation exposure. Having undergone a double lung transplant, Begay now depends on an oxygen tank. He expressed concern: “That was the hardest thing I ever encountered. These are some of the things that people are going to go through within a few more years. They gonna be facing the thing, there’s no cure for it.”
In support of those affected, Congress recently revived financial compensation for victims of radiation exposure, including uranium miners and downwinders, as part of Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
For further reading, explore more about the implications of these policies on tribal communities and the associated challenges here.
—
Read More Arizona News
