Key Points and Summary – President Trump has “created a stir” by suggesting the U.S. may resume nuclear weapons testing for the first time since its 1992 moratorium, a “provocative” move. -This is seen as a reaction to Russian “doomsday” weapons tests (like the Poseidon torpedo) and “perceived” low-yield tests by Russia and China, which […]

Is the United States about to start testing nuclear weapons again? Recent comments by United States President Trump suggested that he is strongly considering testing nuclear warheads in response to real and perceived tests by other nuclear powers.

These comments left many confused about the future of US policy and the state of intelligence on adversary nuclear programs.

So what’s going on? As is often the case, President Trump seems to prize unpredictability.

We don’t know what’s going to happen, but it wouldn’t hurt to review where we’ve been.

  • gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de
    8·
    1 day ago

    I read an article a while ago that said that nuclear weapons tests (yes, only the tests) caused 10 million people worldwide to die from cancer. This is solely due to the radioactive fallout from the tests. This does not include any weapons actually hitting cities or living people directly.

    • SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.caEnglish
      6·
      1 day ago

      That was above ground testing, which ended in the 60s from the US. France did it until 1974, and China until 1980.

      True story, the US military knew the safest place to test nuclear bombs was the East coast, to let prevailing winds take fallout to the ocean but they did it in the west anyway, poisoning their own population. We can still measure radioactivity in brain samples from that era today.