Trump’s Nuclear Testing Plan Raises Fears

If U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Richard Correll expected a smooth confirmation hearing on Thursday to become the commander of America’s nuclear forces, those hopes evaporated at 9:04 p.m. the night before. That was when President Donald Trump stunned the world by announcing on social media that he had instructed the U.S. military to “start testing our Nuclear Weapons,” arguing that the United States could not afford to fall behind Russia and China.Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within five years,” Trump wrote.During a 90-minute hearing at the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday morning, Correll faced a barrage of questions about Trump’s remarks from bewildered lawmakers — reflecting the confusion the president’s statement caused in Washington and abroad.The committee’s top Democrat, Senator Jack Reed, asked whether resuming U.S. nuclear explosive testing would be destabilising and risk sparking a new global arms race.If confirmed as ...

• 01 Nov 2025