Trump goes NUCLEAR; brings signature ignorance, recklessness to U.S. nuclear stature

Nuclear Policy & International Relations - The U S president announced instructions to the Department of War to start nuclear weapons testing on an equal basis, process to begin immediately [1] - Announcement came unexpectedly, unclear what kind of nuclear tests or urgency [2] - Other nuclear superpowers like Russia and China haven't detonated live nuclear weapons since the 1990s, and the U S hasn't since 1992 (33 years ago) [3] - Resuming testing could trigger reciprocal testing and arms buildup from Russia, China, India, and Pakistan [18] - Russia has been threatening the use of nuclear weapons since 2022 when they invaded Ukraine [18] Nuclear Arsenal & Deterrence - The core purpose of a nuclear arsenal is deterrence, ensuring America's enemies consider the consequences before acting against the U S [7] - The vice president suggested America's nuclear weapons may not be functioning properly, later walking back the statement [8][9] - The U S relies on simulations and subcritical tests for its nuclear force [17] - Testing a nuclear weapon creates a message of doubting nuclear capability and showing swagger, which could set off a chain of events [25] Potential Risks & Motivations - A provocative new movie released on Netflix, "House of Dynamite," portrays a nightmare scenario where the U S is vulnerable to a nuclear attack [4][5] - An internal memo from the Pentagon argued against the doomsday scenario depicted in the movie [6] - Even an underground test would leak radioactive material, be extremely expensive, and allow adversaries to gather significant data [18]