""We've halted many years ago, but with others doing testing I think it's appropriate to do so," the president told reporters aboard Air Force One. Experts say that the resumption of testing would be a major escalation and could upend the nuclear balance of power. "I think a decision to resume nuclear testing would be extremely dangerous and would do more to benefit our adversaries than the United States," said Corey Hinderstein, vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for Nuclear Peace."
"The Nevada National Security Site, approximately 60 miles northwest of Las Vegas, is currently the only place where America could test a nuclear weapon, said Robert Peters, a senior research fellow for strategic deterrence at the Heritage Foundation. The Nevada site is around 1,300 square miles in size, larger than the state of Rhode Island. Starting in the 1950s, scientists conducted atmospheric nuclear tests at the site, but from 1962 to 1992, testing was done underground."
The United States intends to resume nuclear weapons testing for the first time in decades, citing other countries' testing as justification. Testing would occur at the Nevada National Security Site about 60 miles northwest of Las Vegas, using deep underground mineshafts where a device is placed in a sealed chamber. Underground detonations are contained by rock to reduce atmospheric fallout but have caused radioactive leakage in the past. Such tests could shake and potentially damage buildings in Las Vegas. Experts warn that resuming testing would constitute a major escalation, could upend the global nuclear balance of power, and risk benefiting adversaries.
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