US Air Force test launch unarmed Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile

News, US February 13, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

The U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command test-launched an unarmed Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile on February 11, 2023. The test was carried out at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

According to the official statement released by the U.S. Air Force, the missile traveled for more than 4,200 miles over the Pacific Ocean to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. The statement also described the launch as a routine test that is designed to reassure defense and deterrence capabilities for the U.S. and its allies.

“A test launch displays the heart of our deterrence mission on the world’s stage, assuring our nation and its allies that our weapons are capable and our Airmen are ready and willing to defend peace across the globe at a moment’s notice, Air Force Global Strike Command commander General Thomas Bussiere said in a statement.

U.S.’s Minuteman Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) is capable of carrying a payload of thermonuclear warheads, however, the recent launch was aimed to test the missiles flight patterns and accuracy as well as improved distance capabilities, it did not carry any conventional or nuclear warhead.

The 377th Test and Evaluation Group commander Col. Christopher Cruise said, “This launch showcases the redundancy and reliability of our strategic deterrence systems while sending a visible message of assurance to allies. This multilateral team reflects the precision and professionalism of our command, and our joint partners.”

The U.S. Air Force statement also said that the launch “is not the result of current world events” and similar tests have taken place more than 300 times before. Despite the claims that the nuclear-capable ICBM launch was not subject to any world event, its timing coincides with growing concern about the potential for conflict involving nuclear weapons.

^{A team of Air Force Global Strike Command Airmen launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with a test reentry vehicle at 11:01 P.M. Pacific Time Feb. 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, US. (Image Credit: U.S. Space Force/Senior Airman Rocio Romo)}

China has repeatedly warned of the dangers of a new arms race as it blasts U.S. political rhetoric that increasingly views Beijing as the signature threat around which America’s national security infrastructure must organize itself.

Just one day before the launch, China’s state-owned media house warned that “tension between China and the U.S. is worsening” due to an ongoing fracas over a surveillance balloon that President Joe Biden ordered shot down last week. It also noted growing concerns in Congress that Beijing is outpacing the U.S. in advancing its nuclear arsenal as America’s Cold War-era stockpile ages.

At the same time, the U.S. is also concerned about North Korea’s increasing military and nuclear activities in the region. Pyongyang’s recent and one of the largest night-time military parades has sparked a stir in the U.S. and its allies as it featured more than a dozen nuclear-capable ICBMs.

Based on the exponential increase in the weapons tests by North Korea in the previous year, experts and analysts are expecting North Korea to increase its missile testing and nuclear capabilities further in the year 2023.