U.S. to Resume Nuclear Testing Immediately, Ending 33-Year Moratorium, Following Russian Drone Test
Putin Touts “Uninterceptable” Poseidon Torpedo as Trump Directs Resumption of U.S. Nuclear Program Testing
WASHINGTON / MOSCOW: U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered the immediate resumption of United States nuclear weapons testing, a dramatic policy shift ending a moratorium that has been in place since 1992. The directive was issued in direct response to the successful test of a new, advanced Russian nuclear-capable underwater drone.
President Trump announced the order on his Truth Social platform just before his scheduled meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea. “Due to testing programs being conducted by other countries, I have directed the Department of Defense to begin testing our nuclear weapons immediately,” Trump wrote, without providing specific details on the nature or location of the upcoming tests.
Russia’s Poseidon Test
The U.S. decision follows Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement yesterday, Wednesday, that Moscow had successfully tested its nuclear-powered, nuclear-capable torpedo system, “Poseidon.”
Speaking at a hospital in Moscow while visiting injured soldiers, Putin clarified that the test was conducted on Tuesday and achieved “tremendous success.” He claimed that the torpedo’s power “significantly exceed[s] the power of even our most promising Sarmat intercontinental-range missile,” and stressed that “there is no way to intercept it.”
The “Poseidon” is described as a self-guided torpedo operating on nuclear propulsion, designed to carry nuclear warheads. According to the limited publicly available information, it is capable of generating radioactive waves in the oceans, a feature intended to render coastal cities uninhabitable.
A source in the Russian military-industrial complex previously told the TASS news agency that the “Poseidon” torpedo can operate at depths exceeding one kilometer and reach speeds between 60 to 70 knots.
These developments underscore rising tensions between Moscow and Washington as both nations escalate their development of nuclear military capabilities. The U.S. had previously relied on computer simulations and subcritical testing to maintain its nuclear arsenal since its last full-scale nuclear test in 1992.