TRUE

Every operational nuclear weapon relies on a conventional chemical explosive to initiate the detonation sequence. In implosion-type weapons, a shell of high-explosive lenses is detonated simultaneously to create a shock wave that compresses a subcritical fissile core into a supercritical state (Atomic Archive). Gun-type weapons use a conventional propellant to fire one subcritical mass of uranium into another at high velocity to achieve criticality (Union of Concerned Scientists). Even modern thermonuclear weapons, or hydrogen bombs, utilize this process as their first step: a conventional explosion triggers a fission primary stage, which then provides the extreme heat and pressure necessary to ignite the fusion secondary stage (Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation). Technical documentation from the Department of Energy and the Union of Concerned Scientists confirms that high explosives such as HMX or RDX are essential components for achieving the density required for a nuclear chain reaction.