**”Subcritical Explosion Test”…Handling Fallout from Trump’s Remarks**
In a recent statement, the head of the U.S. Department of Energy, which oversees nuclear matters, clarified that the nuclear tests being discussed within the country are limited to subcritical tests that do not involve a nuclear chain reaction.
On November 2nd, in an interview with Fox News, U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright dismissed questions about whether the nuclear tests ordered by President Donald Trump were underground nuclear detonations, stating, “The experiments we are talking about are system tests.” He emphasized, “This is not a nuclear explosion test. These are what we call subcritical explosions.” He further explained that these experiments involve testing all other components of nuclear weapons.
A subcritical test is an experiment that stops short of reaching the critical point where a nuclear fission chain reaction would occur, differing significantly from tests that involve an actual nuclear explosion. It is interpreted as not being prohibited by the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).
Previously, while visiting South Korea on October 30th, President Trump announced via Truth Social, “The United States has more nuclear weapons than any other country,” instructing the Department of Defense to begin testing our nuclear weapons.
Since a self-imposed moratorium in 1992, the U.S. has ceased nuclear testing but has maintained the capability to resume tests at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). While the U.S. signed the CTBT in 1997, it has not been ratified by the Senate.