Energy Secretary Chris Wright has clarified that President Donald Trump’s recent order to resume nuclear weapons testing will not involve nuclear explosions. The announcement specifies that the current phase involves non-explosive system checks.
In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, Secretary Wright stated, “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.”
The tests will examine all non-nuclear components of a weapon to ensure they can properly initiate a nuclear detonation if required. Wright, whose department oversees the U.S. nuclear arsenal, explained that the goal is to verify the functionality of new systems and ensure replacement weapons are more advanced than their predecessors.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright debunked the rumors about Trump ordering nuclear explosive testing:
“The tests we’re talking about right now is systems the tests, these are not explosions. These are what we call noncritical explosions. So you’re testing all the other parts of a… pic.twitter.com/WphsfVhQiQ
— Media Lies (@MediasLies) November 2, 2025This clarification follows President Trump’s comments last week, where he announced he had ordered the military to “immediately restart the process for testing nuclear weapons” after a 33-year halt. The statement was widely perceived as a strategic message to nuclear rivals China and Russia.
The United States last conducted underground nuclear test explosions during the Cold War. Secretary Wright emphasised that modern science and computational power now enable highly accurate simulations of nuclear explosions, thereby reducing the need for physical detonations.
Read: Trump Orders Resumption of US Nuclear Testing on Equal Basis with Rivals
“We can simulate incredibly accurately exactly what will happen in a nuclear explosion,” Wright said, noting that this capability allows scientists to model different bomb designs and their effects without actual blasts.
