By The Epoch Times | Created at 2026-10-02 09:02:02 | Updated at 2026-10-02 10:02:55
1 hour ago
The Nevada National Security Site’s U1a Complex. The National Nuclear Security Administration conducted a successful underground, non-nuclear chemical explosive test at the site Sept. 30, 2026. NNSA
The United States conducted a successful underground, non-nuclear chemical explosive test at a Nevada test site Sept. 30 to enhance the nation’s ability to detect low-yield nuclear explosions, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
announced.
The experiment was conducted in the P Tunnel in Area 12 at the Nevada National Security Site, located about 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas. The facility is where the United States conducted aboveground and underground nuclear weapons testing between 1951 and 1992.
Data collected from the test will be used to validate scientific models and refine algorithms that are critical to U.S. nuclear explosion detection efforts, the agency said, and is expected to strengthen the United States’ ability to characterize nuclear bombs when they are detonated.
The experiment used chemical high-explosives and radiotracers, according to NNSA.
“It takes nuclear expertise to detect nuclear activities and experiments like these ensure America remains unmatched in detection,” NNSA Administrator Brandon Williams said. “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.”
China continues to deny evidence that suggests the country is building up its nuclear weapons stockpile with its three new intercontinental ballistic missile silo fields, Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security at the State Department Thomas DiNanno said at the U.N. Conference on Disarmament in Geneva in February.
DiNanno accused China of conducting nuclear weapons tests that achieved supercritical yields, including one on June 22, 2020.
“I can reveal that the U.S. Government is aware that China has conducted nuclear explosive tests, including preparing for tests with designated yields in the hundreds of tons,” DiNanno said.
The tests allegedly violated ban commitments made by China.
The Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site northwest of Las Vegas. NNSA
The Nevada experiment was especially focused on enhancing the U.S. capabilities to detect a “decoupled” explosion, which is a blast set off inside a large, empty air-filled chamber instead of being tightly packed against solid rock. The technique muffles seismic shockwaves and makes explosions look smaller.
This is the type of test the United States alleged China conducted in June 2020 at its Lop Nur nuclear test site, according to NNSA. China has denied the allegations.
DiNanno alleged that China has used decoupling to hide its activities.
The Nevada experiment allowed researchers to gather measurements using a broad suite of advanced sensors, including accelerometers, seismometers, infrasound sensors, electromagnetic sensors, chemical and radiotracer samplers, and meteorological sensors.
