Wright explained that the tests aim to assess the delivery systems of nuclear weapons without triggering a nuclear blast. “So you’re testing all the other parts of a nuclear weapon to make sure they deliver the appropriate geometry, and they set up the nuclear explosion,” he said.
Trump sparked confusion last week after announcing on social media that he had directed the U.S. Department of Defense to begin testing nuclear weapons “on an equal basis.” When pressed by reporters, he did not specify whether he meant resuming explosive nuclear testing or carrying out routine testing of delivery systems.
North Korea remains the only nation to have conducted nuclear tests since the 1990s, while Russia has been testing nuclear-capable systems without detonating nuclear devices. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has continued missile tests capable of carrying nuclear warheads, including one earlier this week.
Addressing public concern, Wright dismissed the possibility of any visible nuclear detonations in the U.S.. “No, no worries about that,” he said in response to whether residents near the Nevada Test Site should expect a mushroom cloud. “No worries about that.”
He added that current efforts focus on modernising the U.S. nuclear arsenal by testing new technologies rather than the existing stockpile. “The testing that we’ll be doing is on new systems. And again, these will be nonnuclear explosions,” he stated. “These are just developing these sophisticated systems so that our replacement nuclear weapons are even better than the ones they were before: They’re reliable in all circumstances, under all conditions, and they deliver the performance they were designed for.”
Source: The Hill.
