U.S. to resume nuclear weapons testing, but only subcritical explosions – Energy Secretary

The United States plans to resume nuclear weapons testing with subcritical explosions that do not trigger a chain nuclear reaction, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in an interview with Fox News.

President Donald Trump announced on October 29 that he had instructed the Pentagon to immediately restart nuclear weapons testing.

“The tests we are talking about involve system checks — not nuclear detonations — but what we call subcritical explosions,” Wright said. “They test all other components of nuclear weapons to ensure the proper geometry and ability to initiate a nuclear reaction.”