President Donald Trump has directed the Department of Defense to “immediately” begin testing of nuclear weapons, a move the U.S. has not taken since 1992, Reuters reported Thursday.
Announcing the decision from South Korea, Trump cited growing global nuclear programs and emphasized that the U.S. has the largest nuclear arsenal, calling Russia second and China a distant third.
“Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately,” the president said in his post on Truth Social.
Which Companies Are Likely to Benefit From Renewed US Nuclear Testing?
Trump’s order could direct billions of dollars in contracts to companies that specialize in nuclear test site construction, operations and related engineering support, according to Reuters.
Per defense software company Govini, those businesses include Honeywell International, BWX Technologies and Mele Associates.
Honeywell operates a key testing site, helps track the U.S. nuclear stockpile and performs tests. BWXT works with nuclear materials, while Mele oversees parts of the stockpile and ensures the security of nuclear materials.
Other potential beneficiaries include Chugach Alaska, Jacobs Solutions and General Atomic Technologies Corp.
“Restarting nuclear weapons testing is going to reverberate in a lot of ways, including by sending a shockwave of government funding to companies in test site construction and engineering support,” said Govini CEO Tara Murphy Dougherty.
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