WASHINGTON, October 30. /TASS/. The United States lacks any technical, military, or political basis for resuming nuclear testing, Daryl G. Kimball, Executive Director of the Arms Control Association (ACA), told TASS on Wednesday.
Kimball stated that US President Donald Trump is "misinformed and out of touch." "The US has no technical, military, or political reason to resume nuclear explosive testing for the first time since 1992," he said, adding that "It would take at least 36 months to resume contained nuclear tests underground at the former test site in Nevada."
"Nearly all the world’s nations have joined the 1996 Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which as a signatory the United States is legally obligated to respect," Kimball emphasized, noting that no country except North Korea "has conducted a nuclear test explosion in this century."
"By foolishly announcing his intention to resume nuclear testing, Trump will trigger strong public opposition in Nevada, from all US allies, and it could trigger a chain reaction of nuclear testing by US adversaries, and blow apart the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty," the expert concluded. The ACA, which Kimball heads, was founded in 1971. Based in Washington, it is one of the most prominent US NGOs focused on strengthening international arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament regimes.
Earlier, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, stating that he had instructed the Pentagon to immediately begin nuclear weapons testing. The US president did not clarify whether this referred to the detonation of nuclear warheads. The White House, State Department, and Pentagon have not yet responded to TASS’s request for clarification or provided any additional details on Trump’s decision.