Trump says U.S. will resume nuclear weapons testing ‘on an equal basis’

President Donald Trump said the United States will begin testing its nuclear weapons “on an equal basis” with other countries, instructing the Department of War to start the process immediately.

In a post on Wednesday, Trump claimed the U.S. has “more Nuclear Weapons than any other country” and said a “complete update and renovation” of the arsenal had taken place during his first term.

“Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis,” Trump said. “That process will begin immediately.”

It remains unclear whether Trump’s statement means that the U.S. will restart live nuclear testing, which has been suspended for more than three decades.

The United States last conducted a full-scale nuclear test in September 1992 at the Nevada Test Site, ending a testing program that began in 1945 and spanned more than 1,000 detonations across Nevada, Alaska, the Pacific Ocean, and other sites.

Since then, the country has relied on computer simulations and subcritical tests to maintain its nuclear stockpile, according to the Department of War.

The Department of War has not yet issued a statement indicating whether the directive involves live detonations or simulated experiments, or what President Trump meant by conducting tests “on an equal basis.”