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The U.S. is entering a new phase of nuclear weapons modernization, with private fusion technology emerging as a tool for testing and maintaining the nation’s nuclear stockpile without returning to underground nuclear explosions, The Wall Street Journal reports.
In Albuquerque, New Mexico, startup Pacific Fusion is building a facility that developers say will produce more than 1,000 times the fusion power of the government’s existing machine used for weapons experiments, allowing scientists to expose weapons components to extreme heat, radiation and pressure similar to conditions produced by a nuclear blast.
The project reflects growing U.S. concerns about Russia and China, particularly as China expands its nuclear arsenal and fusion research capabilities, and as the New START treaty has expired and no comparable arms-control agreement exists with China. The Trump administration has reversed Obama-era prohibitions on pursuing new nuclear warheads or capabilities and is pursuing broader nuclear modernization, including new strategic weapons options.
Pacific Fusion, backed by roughly $1 billion in investment, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Nuclear Security Administration to explore collaboration on high-yield fusion and related research. The development comes as private investment in fusion is growing.
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