Energy Secretary Christopher Wright has clarified that the U.S. will not conduct explosive nuclear detonations, instead focusing on ‘noncritical explosions’ to test weapons components. The announcement, made during an appearance on Fox News’ ‘The Sunday Briefing,’ came in response to President Donald Trump’s recent directive to resume nuclear testing. Wright emphasized that the tests will involve systems testing of nuclear weapon components, rather than actual nuclear explosions, addressing concerns about potential changes to the U.S. nuclear policy established during the Trump administration.
Trump’s comments were made during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, where he suggested that other nations were engaging in nuclear testing, prompting the U.S. to realign with these practices. The president did not specify whether he meant explosively testing warheads or the delivery systems that carry them, leaving room for interpretation. However, Wright’s clarification suggests that the focus will be on non-escalatory testing, which aligns with long-standing U.S. practices of conducting unarmed nuclear-capable weapons tests.
The U.S. has not conducted a full nuclear detonation test since 1992, with the last such test taking place during the George H.W. Bush administration. The global norm against nuclear testing, established by the 1996 United Nations nuclear test ban treaty, remains in place, despite the U.S. and other nations not ratifying it. However, the U.S. has regularly conducted non-explosive ‘subcritical’ tests at the Nevada National Security Site, which are used to validate computer models that predict the behavior of aging warheads without producing a full nuclear reaction.
Washington is currently undergoing a three-decade, $1.7 trillion transformation effort to replace aging warheads with updated versions. Wright noted that the current tests are part of this modernization effort, aimed at ensuring that the U.S. nuclear arsenal remains technologically superior. While these tests do not involve actual nuclear explosions, they are still a significant undertaking and may raise concerns among global nuclear watchdogs about the potential for future escalation. The Pentagon, responsible for testing nuclear-capable vehicles, will play a key role in these efforts, working alongside the Energy Department to oversee the testing of explosives and delivery systems.
China and Russia have been increasing their nuclear capabilities in recent years, with China expected to deploy nearly 1,000 warheads by 2030, according to Pentagon assessments. However, both nations have not conducted full nuclear detonations in recent decades, with China last testing in 1996 and Russia in 1990. Trump’s comments on the weekend’s CBS ’60 Minutes’ interview suggested that Russia and China were secretly testing nuclear weapons, a claim that remains unverified. The Trump administration’s decision to resume testing, whether through non-explosive or explosive means, is likely to spark renewed debate about the future of global nuclear disarmament and the risks of an arms race.