Defense Threat Reduction Agency chief James Tegnelia told reporters Tuesday that his agency will be conducting an unprecedented conventional weapons test in the Nevada desert this summer—using a 700-ton explosive. The aim, said Tegnelia, is to find a means to defeat a hard, deeply buried target. He noted, “It’s a lot easier to dig a tunnel 50 feet deeper,” than it is to develop a weapon that will defeat the physics of 60 feet of granite. The Tegnelia called the 700-ton explosively formed charge that, in a few months, will be placed in a tunnel in Nevada for a June 1 test, “the largest single explosive we could imagine doing conventionally to solve that problem.” He added that, for the first time since nuclear testing was suspended in Nevada, people might see a mushroom cloud outside Las Vegas. DTRA has given the project the code name “Divine Strake” and expects it to determine ideal conditions for use of a large conventional weapon and how well one would work against buried granite structures.
Air Force Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich assumed command of U.S. European Command on July 1, taking over the key assignment as the U.S. and its allies contend with a resurgent Russia and a grinding war in Ukraine.
