Third subcritical nuclear test under U.S. Biden administration conducted on May 14
May 18, 2024
by Kana Kobayashi, Staff Writer
On May 17, it was learned that the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a government agency responsible for the maintenance and management of America’s arsenal of nuclear warheads, had conducted a subcritical nuclear test in the evening on May 14 (U.S. local time). The test was carried out at a nuclear test site in the western U.S. state of Nevada in the first such test since September 2021 and the third conducted under U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration. The U.S. government stated that the test had been performed to collect important data related to the behavior of materials used in nuclear warheads.
The NNSA revealed that the test was the first round in a series of tests code-named “Nimble” and was conducted jointly with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, located in California. The next test in the series is scheduled to take place in the first half of 2025. In the future, the Los Alamos National Laboratory, in New Mexico, is also scheduled to join the test plan.
The United States has yet to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), which bans all nuclear explosions, but the country suspended underground nuclear testing starting in 1992. However, in 1997 the United States initiated subcritical nuclear testing, which employs such nuclear materials as plutonium but do not result in explosive yield. It was the 34th subcritical test conducted by the United States over that time span. The NNSA has emphasized that the testing enables collection of information necessary for maintaining the safety and reliability of nuclear warheads without having to resume explosive nuclear testing.
The NNSA responded in an interview this month with the Chugoku Shimbun that it would conduct one test in the first half of 2024. Hiroshima Prefectural Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki had sent Mr. Biden a letter calling for cancellation of the test. “The testing represents a major setback for the progress made by the international community in the area of nuclear disarmament,” Mr. Yuzaki wrote. The Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hiroshima Hidankyo; chaired by Kunihiko Sakuma) also sent a letter of request to the U.S. president.
(Originally published on May 18, 2024)
On May 17, it was learned that the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a government agency responsible for the maintenance and management of America’s arsenal of nuclear warheads, had conducted a subcritical nuclear test in the evening on May 14 (U.S. local time). The test was carried out at a nuclear test site in the western U.S. state of Nevada in the first such test since September 2021 and the third conducted under U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration. The U.S. government stated that the test had been performed to collect important data related to the behavior of materials used in nuclear warheads.
The NNSA revealed that the test was the first round in a series of tests code-named “Nimble” and was conducted jointly with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, located in California. The next test in the series is scheduled to take place in the first half of 2025. In the future, the Los Alamos National Laboratory, in New Mexico, is also scheduled to join the test plan.
The United States has yet to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), which bans all nuclear explosions, but the country suspended underground nuclear testing starting in 1992. However, in 1997 the United States initiated subcritical nuclear testing, which employs such nuclear materials as plutonium but do not result in explosive yield. It was the 34th subcritical test conducted by the United States over that time span. The NNSA has emphasized that the testing enables collection of information necessary for maintaining the safety and reliability of nuclear warheads without having to resume explosive nuclear testing.
The NNSA responded in an interview this month with the Chugoku Shimbun that it would conduct one test in the first half of 2024. Hiroshima Prefectural Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki had sent Mr. Biden a letter calling for cancellation of the test. “The testing represents a major setback for the progress made by the international community in the area of nuclear disarmament,” Mr. Yuzaki wrote. The Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hiroshima Hidankyo; chaired by Kunihiko Sakuma) also sent a letter of request to the U.S. president.
(Originally published on May 18, 2024)
