US not planning any nuclear explosions, says Energy Secretary Wright

Washington [US], November 4: The nuclear weapons testing ordered by US President Donald Trump will not involve any nuclear explosions, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Sunday.
"I think the tests we're talking about right now are system tests," Wright told broadcaster Fox News in an interview. "These are not nuclear explosions. These are what we call non-critical explosions." The planned tests involve "all the other parts of a nuclear weapon to make sure they deliver the appropriate geometry and they set up the nuclear explosion," he added.
Trump had caused a stir a few days earlier by announcing the immediate resumption of nuclear weapons testing, without clarifying what exactly would be tested. That left open whether underground explosions might be included. Trump justified the decision by saying that other countries were also carrying out tests.
Wright said that modernizing the United States' nuclear stockpile was a "critical priority." "A lot of our weapons are very old," he said, adding that the arsenal had to be kept modern and up to date to maintain global leadership. (DPA)
Source: Qatar Tribune