US launches nuclear missile to show ‘readiness’ amid fears of WWIII
The US Air Force launched a hypersonic missile early Wednesday to demonstrate the nation’s nuclear deterrent ‘remains safe, secure, reliable and effective.’
The Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) exercise kicked off at 1am PT (5am ET) from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, just a few hours after Russia deployed its ‘Yars’ ICBM for combat training.
The Air Force, however, said Wednesday’s launch was a scheduled exercise and ‘is part of the nation’s ongoing commitment to maintaining a credible deterrent and is not a response to current world events.’
Acting Secretary of the Air Force Gary Ashworth said: ‘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.
‘It also provides confidence in the lethality and effectiveness of the nation’s nuclear deterrence mission.’
The test collected and analyzed performance and other key data points to evaluate current missile system competencies.
Col. Dustin Harmon, commander of the 377th Test and Evaluation Group (TEG), said: ‘This allows our team to analyze and report accuracy and reliability for the current system while validating projected missile system improvements.’
The nuclear missile took off in the dead of night, traveling 15,000 miles per hour to a test range near Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. It completed the 4,200-mile journey in about 22 minutes.
