The current ruling class is continuing with its war-mongering rhetoric. The vice president of the United States, JD Vance, says that nuclear weapons testing needs to continue because these types of weapons are an important part of America’s “defense.”

On Thursday, President Donald Trump announced that nuclear testing would continue. Now Vance says that these tests are necessary to ensure the working order of the weapons. Resumption of nuclear arms testing by Washington has already begun, with the ruling class citing competition with Russia and China.

“That process will begin immediately,” in response to “other countries’ testing programs,” he said. According to a report by RT, Vance told journalists later in the day that “it is an important part of American national security to make sure that this nuclear arsenal we have actually functions properly, and that is part of a testing regime.” The vice president did not elaborate on what type of nuclear tests the U.S. would be carrying out.

Trump Says U.S. And Russia Are “Not Playing Games” With Each Other

Republican Senator Tom Cotton told Fox News that “we are not talking here about large-scale detonations with mushroom clouds in the desert or in the South Pacific. We are talking about very small, controlled, probably underground detonations.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reacted to Trump’s announcement by noting “the statement by [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, which has been repeated many times, that, of course, if someone abandons the moratorium [on nuclear testing], then Russia will act accordingly.”

Trump Orders Immediate Resumption of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Testing

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun expressed hope that “the US will earnestly abide by its obligations under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and its commitment to a ‘moratorium on nuclear testing.’” Guo also urged Washington to “take concrete actions to uphold the international nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime, as well as global strategic balance and stability.” –RT

The U.S. ceased nuclear arms testing in 1992 under a Congress-mandated moratorium. Russia’s last test took place during the Soviet period in 1990, while China’s was in 1996.