US Energy Secretary Details Non-Explosive Nature of Nuclear Weapon Tests

Energy Secretary Chris Wright states new trials will not involve actual nuclear explosions.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright has stated that nuclear weapon tests recently mandated by US President Donald Trump will not entail actual nuclear explosions.

During an appearance on Fox News’ The Sunday Briefing, Wright characterized these trials as integral to a modernization initiative, utilizing “advanced” systems developed by the US to upgrade its aging nuclear arsenal components.

“The tests currently under discussion are system tests, not nuclear explosions; they are what we term non-critical explosions,” Wright clarified, explaining that diverse components would undergo testing to guarantee they “achieve the correct geometry and facilitate a nuclear explosion.”

Queried about the likelihood of residents near the US nuclear test site in the Nevada desert witnessing a mushroom cloud in the near future, the energy secretary responded, “No concerns regarding that.”

Last week, Trump directed the Pentagon to “commence testing our nuclear weapons symmetrically” with Russia and China. Vice President J.D. Vance emphasized the importance of verifying that “our nuclear arsenal is indeed fully functional.” The US halted nuclear explosive tests in 1992 due to a Congressional moratorium.

The Washington Post reported Thursday that reactivating nuclear tests might span several years and incur costs in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The US last conducted a nuclear detonation over thirty years ago at the Nevada Test Site, which currently employs computer simulations rather than live explosions.