Energy secretary: US weapons tests won't involve nuclear explosions
Share and Follow


On Sunday, Energy Secretary Chris Wright clarified that the recent weapons testing directive from President Trump will not involve nuclear detonations.

“The tests we’re currently discussing are system tests, not nuclear explosions. These involve what we refer to as noncritical explosions,” Wright explained during an appearance on Fox News’s “The Sunday Briefing.”

He further elaborated that these tests are designed to assess various components of a nuclear weapon, ensuring they function correctly to initiate the nuclear explosion without actually detonating a nuclear device. Wright’s department is responsible for overseeing these tests.

Last week, President Trump took to social media to announce his directive for the Department of Defense to commence testing of U.S. nuclear weapons “on an equal basis,” which led to some confusion regarding the specific nature of these tests.

When pressed by reporters for further details, Trump did not specify whether his directive pertained to resuming actual nuclear explosive testing or was aimed at routine testing of delivery systems for nuclear weapons.

North Korea is the only country that has carried out nuclear testing since the 1990s. Russia has been conducting nuclear-capable weapons tests, which does not include setting off actual nuclear bombs. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been testing missiles capable of having nuclear warheads as recently as this week.

Wright, on Sunday, shot down a question on whether the testing is “something where people who live in the Nevada desert should expect to see a mushroom cloud at some point.”

“No, no worries about that,” he responded. “No worries about that.”

As the U.S. works to modernize its nuclear stockpile, Wright said officials will be testing the new systems, not the existing stockpile.

“The testing that we’ll be doing is on new systems. And again, these will be non-nuclear explosions. 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,” he said.

Share and Follow
You May Also Like

Senate Approves Bipartisan Agreement to Conclude Schumer Shutdown, Awaits House Decision

Following an extended voting process delayed by Texas Senator John Cornyn’s…

Greene Urges Trump: Grant Clemency to Tina Peters

On Monday, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia expressed her gratitude to…

Shocking Twist: Fox Star Charged in Grisly Murder Case of Her Own Mother

A former Fox anchor is facing serious charges after being accused of…

Democrats Concede in Budget Battle: Schumer Shutdown Ends Without Concessions

The situation for Democrats took a turn for the worse on Sunday…

Ex-Capitol Police Officer Connected to January 6 Pipe Bomb Investigation

A forensic investigation commissioned by Blaze News has identified former U.S. Capitol…

Senate Nears Deal to End Government Shutdown, Leaves ACA Credits in Limbo

The Senate is poised to bring an end to the longest government…

Progressive Democrats Strongly Oppose Schumer’s Shutdown Agreement

As fresh insights into a potential agreement to conclude the government…

Meet the 8 Senate Democrats Who Helped Conclude the Government Shutdown

On Sunday evening, eight members of the Senate Democratic caucus cast their…