Pentagon’s New Authorization
The Pentagon is set to receive authorization to restart underground nuclear tests as part of the upcoming defense authorization bill.
The national defense authorization act for fiscal year 2026, which is nearing a Senate vote, includes provisions related to the Energy Department’s nuclear security activities. This legislation would lift the U.S. moratorium on underground tests that has been in place since 1996.
The bill specifies that the ban on testing will remain unless a foreign nation conducts a nuclear test after this date, at which point the U.S. would be permitted to resume its own testing.
This provision means that North Korea’s six underground nuclear tests conducted between 2006 and 2017 could trigger a resumption of testing by both the Pentagon and the National Nuclear Security Administration.
The proposed legislation, which recently passed in the House and is expected to move through the Senate shortly, also maintains a prohibition on atmospheric nuclear weapon testing. It allocates $890.6 billion for fiscal year 2026, with $855.7 billion designated for Pentagon initiatives and $34.3 billion for national security programs within the Energy Department.
This shift in policy follows President Trump’s recent declaration that the U.S. will resume nuclear tests in response to actions by Russia, China, and North Korea. In an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes,” Trump stated, “We’re the only country that doesn’t test, and I don’t want to be the only country that doesn’t test.” He confirmed intentions to conduct tests similar to those performed by other nations.
Trump previously raised concerns about nuclear testing in an October post on Truth Social, emphasizing that while Russia leads in numbers of nuclear arms, China is rapidly advancing its capabilities due to ongoing testing programs.
Nuclear testing is deemed necessary by military officials to ensure what they refer to as “assurance” regarding weapon reliability. The current U.S. arsenal consists of aging warheads that have been maintained without new tests through a program known as “Stockpile Stewardship.”
Following Trump’s comments, CIA Director John Ratcliffe noted via social media that both Russia and China have engaged in nuclear weapons testing despite claims otherwise from their governments.
Senator Tom Cotton mentioned assessments indicating both nations have conducted significant nuclear weapons tests beyond U.S. standards during their modernization efforts.
The National Nuclear Security Administration continues subcritical experiments at its Nevada facility aimed at gathering technical data relevant to U.S. nuclear capabilities.
