Context:
• The United States is considering a return to nuclear weapons testing after 33 years, a move with major implications for global security.
• This development comes amid Russia’s withdrawal from CTBT, rising U.S.–Russia–China competition, and global nuclear arsenal modernization.
Key Highlights
- U.S. Set to Restart Nuclear Testing
- President Donald Trump has ordered preparations for resuming U.S. nuclear weapons testing after a hiatus of over three decades.
- Historical Testing Landscape
- Between 1945–1996, over 2,000 nuclear tests took place globally:
• U.S. — 1,032 tests
• Soviet Union — 715 tests
- CTBT Background
- The Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), signed in 1996, prohibits nuclear explosions worldwide.
- The U.S. has signed but not ratified the CTBT.
- Russia Aligns With U.S. Position
- In 2023, Russia revoked ratification of the CTBT, mirroring the U.S. stance and increasing global instability.
- Current Nuclear Arsenals
- Russia holds approximately 5,459 nuclear warheads, while the U.S. has about 5,177—both expanding modernization programs.
Significance
- Origins of Nuclear Testing
- The nuclear era began in July 1945 with the Alamogordo test (Trinity), followed by Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.
- The Soviet Union conducted its first nuclear detonation in 1949.
- Major Nuclear Events After CTBT
- India and Pakistan conducted nuclear tests in 1998.
- North Korea carried out six nuclear tests between 2006–2017.
- Why Nuclear Testing Was Halted
- Concerns included:
• Severe human health hazards
• Environmental contamination in the Pacific, Kazakhstan, and U.S. test sites
• Unpredictability of radioactive fallout - Public pressure and scientific evidence pushed nations toward moratoriums.
- Why the U.S. May Resume Testing
- To validate new-generation nuclear weapons.
- To assess aging warheads in its stockpile.
- As a strategic signal to Russia and China amid rising geopolitical tensions.
- Global Nuclear Stockpile Trends
- Nuclear warheads peaked at 70,000+ in 1986 (Cold War height).
- Today, global stockpiles have declined to ~12,000, but modernisation is active in:
• Russia
• United States
• China (rapidly expanding arsenal)
Prelims Focus
- CTBT vs NPT (differences, signatories, India’s position).
- Key global nuclear test sites (Bikini Atoll, Semipalatinsk, Pokhran).
- Nuclear club: Official and de facto nuclear weapon states.
- Basics of nuclear fission and fusion.
- “No First Use” policy — which countries follow it.
Mains Relevance
GS 2 – International Relations
- Erosion of global arms control regimes
- Geopolitical competition among nuclear powers
- Strategic signalling in nuclear diplomacy
GS 3 – Internal Security
- Nuclear proliferation risks
- Impact of renewed testing on global peace
- India’s nuclear doctrine amid renewed testing threats
Possible Mains Question
- Critically evaluate the implications of the U.S. and Russia revisiting nuclear testing norms. What challenges does this pose to global arms control and India’s security environment?