Confronting the Call to Resume Nuclear Testing
The United States conducted 1,032 explosive nuclear weapons tests, with its last being conducted underground at the Nevada Test Site in 1992. Four years later, President Clinton signed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), and despite never ratifying the treaty, the country has maintained its moratorium on nuclear weapons testing since that time.
Recently, there has been a growing call for the country to resume explosive nuclear testing – namely from the current administration and its supporters. Sources close to the Trump administration have claimed that testing is necessary to uphold the weapon’s effect as a deterrent.
On page 431, Project 2025 calls for the United States to “Reject ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and indicate a willingness to conduct nuclear tests in response to adversary nuclear developments if necessary. This will require that the National Nuclear Security Administration be directed to move to immediate test readiness… .”
Influential right wing think tanks like The Heritage Foundation have come out in opposition to the CTBT- and directly calling to re-establish immediate readiness to resume explosive nuclear weapons testing at the Nevada National Security Site.
For example, in its January 2025 report, America Must Prepare to Test Nuclear Weapons, The Heritage Foundation claims that testing is necessary for the global image of America and would be a display of resolve.
Resuming testing will undoubtedly escalate the global nuclear threat, and destabilize international norms. This advocacy for nuclear weapons testing is short-sighted and dangerous, placing the health of ourselves and others at risk. We at Tri-Valley CAREs are also aware that all nuclear tests have historically been carried out by either Lawrence Livermore or Los Alamos National Laboratories.
Background: Moratorium and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
The U.S. has long pursued nuclear test limitations, beginning with the 1963 Limited Test Ban Treaty, which prohibited nuclear tests in the atmosphere, outer space, and underwater. Following the end of the Cold War, there was a national push for an end to nuclear weapons testing. And, in 1991, Congress introduced legislation for a moratorium on nuclear testing, becoming law in 1992, mandating a 9-month moratorium on explosive nuclear testing. In 1993, President Bill Clinton decided to extend this moratorium.
As mentioned, in 1996 the US eagerly signed the CTBT (being the first country to do so) which prohibits all nuclear weapon test explosions or other nuclear explosions. However, the Senate rejected ratification in 1999 and the treaty has yet to enter into force. Despite this, the U.S. continues to observe an informal moratorium on nuclear testing, aligning with the treaty’s objectives in practice.
Russia ratified the CTBT in 2000, but revoked their ratification in 2023. So far, they continue to observe an unofficial moratorium under the premise that the U.S. does not resume testing. Without the CTBT, and potentially resume nuclear weapons testing.
Despite this, there have been numerous calls for an end to the moratorium from Trump’s administration and its political supporters – citing the need to expand our already extensive stockpiles and dominate on a technical and numerical scale.
Lawrence Livermore National Lab’s Historic Role in Nuclear Testing
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) (formerly called the University of California Radiation Laboratory at Livermore) has historically designed, or co-designed an extensive amount of nuclear warheads for the U.S., including the ones tested at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands, Nevada Test Site and Amchitka, Alaska. Between 1953 and 1962 LLNL coordinated 46 above-ground or “atmospheric” tests, including the largest nuclear test that the US ever conducted, Castle Bravo in the Marshall Islands in 1954. After 1962, LLNL coordinated many more below-ground tests at the Nevada Test Site that continued up until 1992, nearly 30 years later.
See a list of the tests that LLNL conducted between 1953 to 1992.
Risks of Nuclear Testing
Nuclear testing has historically resulted in adverse environmental and human health consequences. The Trinity Test, conducted on July 16, 1945 in the Tularosa Basin in New Mexico, was the world’s first nuclear test. Nearly half a million people, many of whom were Hispanos or Natives, lived within a 150-mile radius of the detonation, some only twelve miles away. They were the first victims of nuclear fallout. One of the most immediate health impacts as a result of the test was a spike in infant deaths. A multitude of other generational health problems resulted, such as cancer and heart disease.
The Radiation Compensation Exposure Act (RECA), which provides compensation to individuals who developed specific illnesses as a result of exposure to radiation released during US nuclear weapons tests or uranium mining operations, does not cover Trinity downwinders and expired in June of 2024. Therefore, Trinity downwinders have yet to be compensated.
The Marshall Islands is another case of the grave consequences of explosive nuclear testing. The US detonated 23 nuclear weapons in Bikini Atoll in a series of Cold War-era testing between 1946 and 1958, vaporizing three islands. The previously mentioned, “Castle Bravo,” was equivalent to the detonation of 1000 Hiroshima bombs. The US government forcibly evacuated 167 people prior to the test, but many died due to lack of food and inhabitable conditions on their new islands. In the early 1970s, almost 200 were returned to their homes but were removed again because they were found to have ingested more radioactive cesium from their environment than any known human population. To this day there remains lasting effects on the Marshall Islands as there is still lingering radiation to the extent that there are even trace elements of uranium in sea turtle shells.
Risks today include creating a new arms race and threatening global security, radioactive venting, contaminating the western US, causing adverse health effects, tremors in Las Vegas that could resemble a major earthquake, risking the local Nevada economy by frightening tourists, and the fact there far more people now live in Clark County, Nevada (2.23 million) than pre-moratorium (800K), increasing the amount of people affected.
Opposition to Testing
Along with calls to resume nuclear testing from former Trump administration officials and Project 2025, there have also been calls from new appointees to keep the nuclear testing moratorium. Brandon Williams, nominated to be the Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration, recommended reliance on scientific information rather than restarting nuclear testing at his confirmation hearing. When asked if he believes that the United States currently possesses the capabilities to ensure the stockpile is safe, secure, and reliable – without the need to resume nuclear explosive testing, he responded with a yes. “The United States continues to observe its 1992 nuclear test moratorium; and, since 1992, has assessed that the deployed nuclear stockpile remains safe, secure, and effective without nuclear explosive testing.”
The Senate Armed Services Committee had a nomination hearing for Vice Admiral Scott Pappano to be Principal Deputy Administrator (#2) for the National Nuclear Security Administration. At this hearing, Pappano was asked if he would advise the resumption of explosive nuclear testing. He responded with, “I would not advocate for nuclear testing based on the amount of data we have exposed to testing our extensive modeling and simulation capability, subcritical testing capabilities and the annual verification.” He was also asked that given that the stockpile has been annually certified as safe and effective without explosive testing, if he sees any technical or strategic justification for resuming explosive testing? He answered with, “Based on the amount of explosive test data that we have, the modeling simulation capability, subcritical testing capabilities at the Nevada test site among other places and that any verification, I do not see a need to return to explosive testing and would not advocate for that if confirmed.”
Demands for conforming to the moratorium have also been coming from the state of Nevada. The state of Nevada has issued a joint resolution urging the federal government to maintain the moratorium on the explosive nuclear testing, citing that over 72% of Nevada voters oppose the resumption of underground testing of explosive nuclear weapons.
Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), there is no analysis for full scale explosive nuclear testing in Nevada. That means an analysis would have to be carried out with a full public comment and a public hearing in Nevada before it can move forward. With the amount of opposition in Nevada, its people need a chance to voice their concerns.
It is crucial that the U.S. reaffirms its commitment to the nuclear testing moratorium. Resuming nuclear tests would fundamentally change the international outlook on the arms race, and instigate nuclear proliferation not only within the United States, but from political competitors. A resumption of nuclear testing would compromise the health of US populations, their future generations, and the local ecology.
Call to Action
Congress must push for policies rooted in peace by pursuing nuclear disarmament. One concrete way of doing so is supporting House Resolution 317, which calls on the US to lead the world back from the brink of nuclear war, and halt and reverse the nuclear arms race, along with preserving the moratorium on nuclear testing.
Take action today and ask your representative to co-sponsor H. Res. 317 (or check if they already have and send them a thank you message!) Affirming the nuclear testing moratorium is essential to protecting communities and advancing global security.