President Donald Trump has instructed the US Department of War to “immediately start testing US nuclear weapons” on an equal basis to China and Russia, who have recently conducted tests of nuclear-capable delivery vehicles. The last time Russia, China or the US conducted full-scale nuclear tests were in the 1990s. 

This is inconsistent with Trump’s earlier statements about the lack of value and massive cost of nuclear weapons.

“The Australian Government must make clear its opposition to the US decision and the continued nuclear brinkmanship of numerous nuclear-armed states. There are no right hands for a wrong weapon. 

It is essential that Australia fast-tracks the signature of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), to indicate we do not support nuclear weapons under any circumstances,”

said Dr Margaret Beavis, co-chair of ICAN Australia. ICAN received the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize for its work to raise awareness of the devastating humanitarian impacts of nuclear weapons, and its role in achieving the TPNW.   

“Signing the TPNW has been ALP policy since 2018. This treaty has been joined by more than half the world’s nations. Signing would reassure our region that the AUKUS submarines are not the thin end of the wedge for a nuclear-armed Australia.”  

It is also critical that Australia sends a message to our AUKUS partners that we do not accept nuclear weapons on Australian soil, and will not facilitate their use.

Despite repeated statements from both Moscow and Washington about wanting to reduce the risk of nuclear war, Putin and Trump are now restarting the nuclear arms race. 

The 1985 Reagan Gorbachev statement “a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought” led to vital arms control and reduced nuclear stockpiles from over 70,000 warheads to around 12,000 now. This statement was affirmed in 2022 by the P5 (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) 

“The Australian government must demand disclosure about nuclear weapons on any planes and ships coming into Australia – nuclear ambiguity is not acceptable. Supporting nuclear weapons threats or use is madness, and illegal under the TPNW. Even a “small” nuclear war would be catastrophic, with a decade long nuclear winter and subsequent famine threatening the lives of billions,”

concluded Dr Beavis.