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The nuclear weapons testing ordered by President Donald Trump will not involve actual nuclear explosions for now, according to Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
“The tests we’re discussing are system tests,” Wright explained in an interview with Fox News. “These are not nuclear detonations. They are what we call non-critical explosions.”
The purpose is to test all components of a nuclear weapon to ensure they function properly and could potentially produce a nuclear blast. Wright, who oversees the agency responsible for U.S. nuclear weapons tests, emphasized that these tests involve all other parts of the weapons system, without initiating nuclear explosions.
He added that these tests are designed to help develop new systems that outperform older models, ensuring that replacement nuclear weapons are more advanced than their predecessors.
Just prior to meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea on Thursday, Trump announced that he had ordered the U.S. military to restart nuclear testing after a 33-year hiatus—a move seemingly aimed at signaling strength to China and Russia.
He reaffirmed this decision on Friday but did not specify whether underground nuclear tests, which were common during the Cold War era, would be part of the restart.
The U.S. previously conducted nuclear tests in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, collecting extensive data from those detonations. Wright highlighted that modern science and computing power allow for highly accurate simulations of nuclear explosions, removing the need for actual detonations in many cases.
“Our simulation capabilities enable us to predict exactly what happens during a nuclear explosion,” Wright stated. “As we modify bomb designs, we can foresee the outcomes and performance using these advanced simulations.”
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