U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed to reporters his intention to conduct nuclear tests, explaining it by saying that “other people are conducting them.” When asked about the timing, Trump replied: “Very soon.” The U.S. president did not specify the date of the possible tests or whether they would involve detonating a nuclear warhead.
“We have more nuclear weapons than any other country,” Trump told the press aboard his plane, adding that he did not want to begin a nuclear sector renovation but had no choice because of the actions of other states. According to the American president, in four to five years Russia and China will catch up with the U.S. in terms of the scale of their nuclear arsenals.
CNN reports that senior U.S. officials from the Department of Energy are trying to convince the White House and the National Security Council not to resume testing. Trump ordered the Pentagon to conduct the tests back in late October “in connection with the testing programs carried out by other countries.”
Meanwhile, the Sandia laboratory under the U.S. Department of Energy announced flight tests of the B61-12 tactical thermonuclear bomb without a charge. The tests took place from August 19 to 21 at the Tonopah Test Range in Nevada. The bomb was dropped from an F-35 aircraft.
The laboratory noted that the tests “produced positive results” and became “an important milestone in evaluating the effectiveness of this weapon.”
The B61 is the main U.S. tactical nuclear bomb, created in 1961. Today, the B61-11 and B61-12 modifications are in service.
