U.S. energy chief: No “mushroom cloud” expected from Trump’s nuclear tests
Chris Wright said the U.S. president ordered tests on non-critical systems rather than real warhead detonations.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Sunday there will be no “mushroom cloud” resulting from President Donald Trump’s order to resume nuclear weapons testing, stressing that the planned activities involve system checks rather than full detonations, News.Az reports citing the Anadolu.
“I think the tests we’re talking about right now are system tests… These are not nuclear explosions. These are what we call non-critical explosions,” Wright told Fox News, referring to Trump’s directive last week instructing the Pentagon to “immediately” begin nuclear tests.
He said these checks involve verifying that “all the other parts of a nuclear weapon” function correctly to set up the proper conditions for a nuclear blast.
“This is not something where people who live in the Nevada desert should expect to see a mushroom cloud,” Wright said.
Trump’s order follows a 33-year gap in U.S. nuclear weapons testing and comes amid nuclear testing activity by other states.
On Friday, Russian Security Council chief Sergey Shoygu said Moscow would conduct nuclear tests if others do so. The Kremlin has recently tested a new nuclear-powered cruise missile and autonomous torpedo — but not a live nuclear weapon.
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