NEW YORK: The US Air Force’s Global Strike Command conducted a test launch of a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) w...
NEW YORK: The US Air Force’s Global Strike Command conducted a test launch of a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) without a warhead from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California a week after President Donald Trump announced his decision to resume nuclear testing, Fox News correspondent Lucas Tomlinson reported.
"The US Air Force’s Global Strike Command says it conducted another unarmed Minuteman III ICBM test launch from California as part of routine reliability checks. The missile landed near the Marshall Islands," the journalist wrote on his X page.
No official statements have yet been published on the websites of the Vandenberg Space Force Base or the command responsible for two components of the US nuclear triad: intercontinental ballistic missiles and strategic bombers.
Trump announced the decision to resume nuclear testing on October 29. However, neither the president nor other White House officials have clarified whether this refers to explosive testing.
The US War Department plans to adopt new ground-based Sentinel ICBMs to replace Minuteman III. This stage will be one of the central elements in the modernization of the country's nuclear forces. According to Pentagon estimates, the missile will not be deployed until at least 2031. In the meantime, many American non-governmental experts believe that the US can successfully maintain strategic nuclear deterrence without silo-based ICBMs by relying on nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines and heavy bombers instead. These components comprise the nuclear triad.
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