Trump Orders Nuclear Weapons Tests and Reactor Acceleration

President Donald Trump has instructed the Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration to resume explosive nuclear weapons testing to maintain parity with Russia and North Korea. The President stated he does not want the United States to be the only country that does not test. However, officials from the National Nuclear Security Administration and the Department of Energy are working to dissuade the administration from this course, arguing that meaningful data would require at least 36 months of underground testing in Nevada and would likely trigger legal challenges from environmental groups.

To avoid geopolitical escalation, agency officials are steering the administration toward non-explosive system tests and supercomputer simulations. Energy Secretary Chris Wright clarified that current activities involve system tests rather than nuclear explosions.

Simultaneously, the administration is prioritizing the development of small modular reactors to support energy needs from AI data centers, electric vehicles, and domestic manufacturing. Trump set a goal to have multiple reactors operational by July 4, 2026, for the nation's 250th anniversary, though Wright indicated only one or two may meet that deadline. These energy initiatives previously faced delays during the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, which furloughed 80% of the National Nuclear Security Administration staff and various nuclear regulators.