U.S. Energy Secretary: "Current Nuclear Tests Under Discussion Are Not Nuclear Explosions"

As U.S. President Donald Trump recently ordered the resumption of nuclear testing, the relevant cabinet secretary has stepped in to clarify. He explained that the tests would be conducted as 'noncritical' experiments, meaning they would not involve the detonation of actual nuclear weapons.

Chris Wright, Secretary of Energy, stated in an interview with Fox News that "the tests we are discussing now are system tests," adding, "This is not a nuclear explosion, but rather what is called a noncritical explosion."

Chris Wright, U.S. Secretary of Energy. Photo by AFP News Agency

A noncritical test is designed to verify whether a nuclear weapon can function safely without the fissile material reaching a critical state, so no actual nuclear explosion occurs. Secretary Wright emphasized that there are no plans to conduct nuclear weapon detonation tests involving real nuclear fission or fusion reactions, such as those carried out by North Korea.

Previously, on October 30, ahead of the U.S.-China summit, President Trump claimed on his social networking service, Truth Social, that other countries were testing nuclear weapons and stated, "I have instructed the Department of Defense to conduct nuclear tests on an equal footing with other countries." His remarks were interpreted as a message directed at China and Russia. The following day, when asked by reporters whether the United States would soon resume underground nuclear testing, President Trump replied, "You will know very soon."

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