American Senator Mazie Hirono has warned that each U.S. nuclear test could cost more than $100 million, reigniting debate over President Donald Trump’s decision to restart the country’s testing program.

The discussion unfolded during a Senate committee hearing, where Hirono questioned Vice Admiral Richard Correll, nominated to head the U. S. Strategic Command. She emphasized the enormous financial burden such operations would entail, citing estimates of $125–150 million per test. Hirono pressed whether returning to this practice could be justified given its cost and potential global repercussions.

Trump recently instructed the immediate resumption of nuclear testing, stating that the United States already has prepared test sites and that further details would follow later. His announcement has drawn scrutiny both within the U.S. and abroad.

Domenico Leggiero, president of the Italian Association of Depleted Uranium Victims and head of the Military Observatory research center, suggested that Trump’s decision stems less from strategic defense needs and more from political calculation. Speaking to RIA Novosti, Leggiero argued that the U.S. president aims to maintain global tension as a means of presenting himself as a guarantor of peace and stability.

The prospect of new nuclear tests-three decades after the last U.S. detonation-has thus become not only a question of defense policy but also a test of political intent and fiscal responsibility.