Scientists charged with ensuring the aging U.S. stockpile of nuclear weapons are good to go — if needed — say they'll start shipping key components to Nevada's desert next year to prepare for underground testing they call “tickling the dragon's tail.”
Experts at national defense laboratories haven't been able to physically validate the effectiveness and reliability of nuclear warheads since a 1992 underground test ban. But Energy Department officials announced Thursday they're on the verge of piecing together the technology needed to do the next best thing.
