Evgeny Buzhinsky, a retired lieutenant general and professor at the Higher School of Economics, believes that U. S. President Donald Trump’s initiative to resume nuclear testing carries not only military but also practical motives.

According to Buzhinsky, Washington is seeking to rebuild its human and technological potential, which has been eroded over decades of inactivity. He noted that immediate testing would be impossible, as American test sites and laboratories have long fallen into disrepair.

Buzhinsky explained that the United States has not conducted live nuclear warhead tests since 1991, relying solely on computer simulations. As a result, he said, the country faces a shortage of skilled experts and has lost part of its technical expertise — including, by U.S. officials’ own admission, some technologies that have been entirely forgotten.

The general also sees a political dimension in Trump’s decision. He suggested that the American president tends to favor high-profile gestures and dramatic announcements aimed at reinforcing his image of leadership. At the same time, Buzhinsky expressed doubts about the competence of several members of Trump’s team, particularly political appointees in the Pentagon, who, in his view, may not fully understand the specifics of military affairs.