LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) shared with Channel 13 that the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) served as the testing ground for a "subsurface-non-nuclear chemical high-explosive experiment."
Chemical high-explosives and radiotracers were used in the test, which the release shared was held inside the P Tunnel in Area 12. According to the DOE, the experiment was run to aid the country's ability to "detect a 'decoupled' explosion," which they had determined that China carried out in 2020 at Lop Nur.
“It takes nuclear expertise to detect nuclear activities and experiments like these ensure America remains unmatched in detection. The Trump Administration has made it clear that the United States will lead from a position of strength. You cannot evade American innovation. With this experiment, we are sending a clear message: under this administration, America will never be outmatched.” — Brandon Williams, National Nuclear Security Administration administrator
Officials said that decoupling "can greatly muffle the signals detected by nuclear detection sensors," which can make larger-scale explosions come across as smaller than then are.
The measurements gathered by researchers today will help increase the nation's ability to "detect and characterize nuclear explosive events," the DOE shared.
