People in Nevada don’t want to see the U.S. government resume underground explosive-nuclear weapons testing in their state, Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) said Tuesday during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.
“Nevadans do not want to return to a time when there was explosive nuclear testing in our state,” Rosen told Admiral Charles Richard, commander of the United States Strategic Command during a hearing concerning the upcoming defense authorization request for fiscal 2022 and future years.
“Last May the previous administration was reportedly considering” underground nuclear explosive testing at the Nevada Nuclear Security Site for the first time since 1992, Rosen said, adding that she and in-state colleague Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) last year sponsored a bill seeking congressional approval of explosive nuclear testing and prevent any present from unilaterally deciding to take such an action.
Explosive nuclear testing has health and safety consequences for residents of Nevada, Rosen said. The Nevada lawmaker asked Richard to confirm there is no need for such testing.
“You are correct,” Richard said, adding he submits Congressionally-mandated reports annually on the combat-readiness of the U.S. nuclear stockpile and found there is no pressing need at this point for additional testing.
“I further stated in it that I am concerned about the nation’s test readiness,” Richard said. The commander added he supports a larger review by the National Nuclear Security Administration and Department of Energy national laboratories to examine the issue of nuclear stockpile readiness.
The Atomic Energy Commission, and eventually DOE, held explosive nuclear testing from World War II until 1992, when it began a voluntary nuclear test moratorium even while refusing to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. The tests were held at the Nevada Nuclear Security Site from the 1960s until 1992.
Such tests are used to prove new nuclear weapons worked as intended, or to resolve technical problems with existing weapons.
In his written testimony, Richard expressed worry about aging weapons stockpile infrastructure.
“Although safe, secure, reliable, and effective today the nuclear weapons stockpile and supporting infrastructure are rapidly aging into obsolescence,” Richard said. “Today the majority of our weapons exceed or will soon reach their planned retirement dates.”
“Projected modernization efforts provide a path to maintain a reliable and effective force, but are not expected to be complete until well into the 2040s,” Richard said.
During his appearance before the committee, Richard re-stated some of his public concerns about eroding domestic nuclear infrastructure while potential foreign adversaries are making major investments in weapons-related systems.
