By John Erath On October 11, I published some reactions to the Russian announcement revoking signature of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). That post focused on Russia and why its leadership chose to take this step and made the case for renewed U.S. administration efforts to ratify CTBT. In this post, I want to look […]
No Good Reason for Nuclear Testing
By John Erath On October 5, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia would consider revoking its ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and turned the matter over to the Duma for further action. This step has caused concern that Russia may resume explosive testing of nuclear weapons and break the effective moratorium […]
After record year of arms tests, what’s in North Korea’s arsenal?
Executive Director John Tierney spoke with Al Jazeera about North Korea’s recent missile tests and provocations. John Tierney, the executive director of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, said some experts do not believe “North Korea has yet mastered any ability to actually miniaturise and place a weapon successfully” on an ICBM, and they […]
Notable Nuclear Tests: Tsar Bomba
On October 30, 1961, the Soviet Union conducted an atmospheric test of the largest thermonuclear weapon ever created: The Tsar Bomba. Named for its unmatched destructive potential, the “emperor of bombs” yielded a blast of 50 megatons, nearly 2,000 times more powerful than the bomb the United States dropped on Nagasaki. The bomb was so […]
Fact Sheet: Nuclear Testing 101
Updated December 2024 What is a nuclear test? Nuclear tests are generally controlled explosions of nuclear devices, such as bombs or warheads. The tests are used to determine a device’s effectiveness, yield (amount of energy released during detonation) and explosive capability. There are four types of nuclear tests: Atmospheric tests occur in or above the […]
