The US Air Force launched an intercontinental ballistic missile test to show ‘readiness’ and ensure effectiveness, as fears of a World War 3 continue to swirl.
A team including Air Force Global Strike Command Airmen set off the unarmed Minuteman III missile at 1am on Wednesday from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
‘Today’s Minuteman III test launch is just one of the ways the Department of the Air Force demonstrates the readiness, precision, and professionalism of US nuclear forces,’ stated Acting Secretary of the Air Force Gary Ashworth.
‘It also provides confidence in the lethality and effectiveness of the nation’s nuclear deterrence mission.’
The US missile was deployed only hours after Russia pushed out autonomous launchers of its own intercontinental ballistic missile, the RS-24 Yars, which can hold nuclear warheads, per a Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation Telegram.
Russia sent the launchers on a combat patrol route, and the move signals that Moscow is prepared to escalate the war with Ukraine despite peace talks that Russian and US officials partook in on Tuesday.
The Minuteman III missile test was ‘part of the Nation’s ongoing commitment to maintaining a credible deterrent and is not a response to current world events’, according to the United States Space Force.
More than 300 such tests have already occurred.
‘During this test, we collected and analyzed performance and other key data points to evaluate current missile system competencies’ stated Colonel Dustin Harmon, who is 377th TEG commander.
‘This allows our team to analyze and report accuracy and reliability for the current system while validating projected missile system improvements.’
The Minuteman III missile was equipped with a single telemetered joint test assembly re-entry vehicle.
It traversed over 4,200 miles and landed at a test range near the Marshall Islands, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The US has 400 Minuteman III missiles across military bases in Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming.
Russia has the most nuclear weapons of any country in the world, with roughly 5,580 warheads, according to the Federation of American Scientists last year. The US is second with around 5,040 warheads, followed by China with about 500, France with 290 and the UK with 225.
The Minuteman III missile test happened just weeks after ‘large-scale, multi-agency nuclear incident training exercise’ was conducted in Schenectady in upstate New York. FBI Albany called that routine exercise an opportunity for multiple agencies to ‘practice and enhance operational readiness to respond in the event of a nuclear incident in the United States or overseas’.
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