Kuala Lumpur, Oct 31 : US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday defended President Donald Trump's surprise directive to restart nuclear weapons testing, saying a resumption would make nuclear conflict "less likely."

Hegseth made the remarks during a press availability on the margins of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus in Kuala Lumpur, a day after Trump unveiled the directive to begin testing US nuclear weapons.

"We would work with the Department of Energy, but the President was clear (that) we need to have a credible nuclear deterrent. That is the baseline of our deterrence, and so having understanding and resuming testing is a pretty responsible, very responsible way to do that," the Secretary said.

"I think it makes nuclear conflict less likely if you know what you have and make sure it operates properly. So it's the right directive," he added, Yonhap news agency reported.

Hegseth underscored that through the testing, America will ensure that it has the "strongest, most capable nuclear arsenal" so that it can maintain "peace through strength."

"We don't seek conflict with China or any other nation, but the stronger we are, the stronger our alliances are, the more we work with allies in this region and around the world, I think the less likely conflict becomes," the Secretary said.

In a social media post this week, Trump said he instructed the Pentagon to start testing nuclear weapons -- following a suspension of 33 years -- "on an equal basis" as he pointed to the nuclear programs of China and Russia. His directive has spawned concerns that it could lead to a new nuclear arms race.

IANS reported that, hours before his meeting with China's President Xi Jinping in South Korea on Thursday, Trump said in a cryptic post on Truth Social, 'Because of other countries' testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis'.

'That process will begin immediately', he added.

Trump said that the US had more nuclear weapons than any other country and this was due to "a complete update and renovation of existing weapons', during his first term.

That was accomplished without any nuclear tests, which scientists say are not necessary anymore because computer simulations can do the job.

Trump wrote that he had 'no choice' but to expand the nuclear arsenal although he hated it, because 'Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within 5 years'.

Only North Korea, across from where he made the post, has carried out a nuclear test in recent years, and that was in 2017.

The last nuclear weapon test by the US was in 1992, by China in 1996 and by Russia's predecessor, the Soviet Union, in 1990.

NATO allies France's last test was in 1996, and Britain's was in 1991 at the US facility in Nevada.

Both India and Pakistan had their last nuclear tests in 1998.

/IANS