U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks with reporters upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., October 19, 2025. Oliver Contreras/Pool via REUTERS
U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks with reporters upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., October 19, 2025. Oliver Contreras/Pool via REUTERS
U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks with reporters upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., October 19, 2025. Oliver Contreras/Pool via REUTERS
U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks with reporters upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., October 19, 2025. Oliver Contreras/Pool via REUTERS
U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks with reporters upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., October 19, 2025. Oliver Contreras/Pool via REUTERS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Testing the U.S. nuclear arsenal is important to ensuring national security, Vice President JD Vance said on Thursday after President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. military to resume testing nuclear weapons after a gap of 33 years.

"It's an important part of American national security to make sure that this nuclear arsenal we have actually functions properly," Vance told reporters outside the White House. "To be clear, we know that it does work properly, but you got to keep on top of it over time, and the president just wants to make sure that we do that."

(Reporting by Jeff Mason, Ismail Shakil, Christian Martinez; Writing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Caitlin Webber)