US conducts 3rd subcritical nuclear test under Biden | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News

The United States has conducted its third subcritical nuclear test under the administration of President Joe Biden.

The US Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration says the test took place on Tuesday in the western state of Nevada.

The NNSA said it relies on subcritical tests to support the safety and effectiveness of nuclear warheads.

The US government announced a moratorium on tests involving nuclear explosions in 1992. But successive administrations have continued subcritical tests.

The previous subcritical test took place in September 2021.

The US has not ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, but an NNSA official said the 33 previous subcritical experiments and the latest experiment were consistent with the stipulated zero-yield standard.

A senior official of the NNSA said, “We plan to increase the frequency of these subcritical experiments so we can continue to gather important data on nuclear weapons materials, with no technical need for a return to underground nuclear explosive testing.”