Trump’s claim about resuming nuclear testing is unrealistic and costly.
The US president recently announced that he wants the Pentagon to begin testing nuclear weapons “immediately,” a request that experts say is nothing more than wishful thinking.
NBC News reported that the US has only one place to conduct such tests: an underground facility near the former Nevada Test Site near Las Vegas. Experts say that preparing the site for a nuclear test would cost hundreds of millions of dollars and take at least two years.
Gregory Jaczko, former chairman of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said on “Meet the Press” on Thursday that there is no urgency about testing.
The US president announced his desire to begin nuclear tests after meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea, writing on his social media account, Truth Social: “I have ordered the Department of War to begin testing our nuclear weapons. This phase will begin immediately.”