Updated | The U.S. nuclear arsenal will be useless unless the production of plutonium cores—used to trigger the weapons—is accelerated to replace ageing stock, a military official has warned.

Earlier this week, the commander of the U.S. Strategic Command voiced his concern over the supply of plutonium triggers, The Washington Post reported. Energy Secretary Rick Perry was called to give testimony in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 22, amid questions over America’s ageing nuclear arsenal.

Plutonium cores, also known as pits, sit inside nuclear weapons and trigger the explosion, but they degrade over time or can be destroyed during evaluation. Although the Pentagon has not confirmed the effective lifespan of the cores, most of the current stock were produced between 1978 and 1989.

Though President Donald Trump’s administration has been bullish in its promises to revamp America’s nuclear might, the supply of the triggers needed to make the bombs work is far from secure.

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