As Russian President Vladimir Putin resumed bombarding Ukrainian cities amid the rise of civilian and military losses, the Pentagon stated Wednesday that its nuclear missile test slated for this weekend will be postponed.
After the Russian leader put his country's nuclear weapons on high alert and amid concerns from the US that he is transporting vacuum bombs and cluster munitions across the border, Defense Department Spokesperson John Kirby said the action is a display of "restraint."
US Postpones Minuteman III Nuclear Missile Test Launch
In a press conference held as a missile struck near Kyiv's southern main rail station, where hundreds of women and children were being evacuated, Kirby claimed the US had not followed Putin's lead in raising nuclear alert levels.
The cancellation of the test flight is the US's first act of restraint after slamming Putin with a barrage of sanctions as the world continued to force him into exile.
At the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, countries from all over the world lined up against Russia to approve a resolution rebuking Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine and demanding the evacuation of the Russian military.
The missile testing has been postponed after the US Air Force displayed its military might in Japan on Tuesday, showcasing a fleet of more than two dozen jets in an apparent attempt to discourage Chinese forces from invading Taiwan's self-governing island.
The military show of might at Kadena Air Base comes two days after President Joe Biden despatched many former senior defense aides to the island country in a show of solidarity, as many fear that Russia's invasion of Ukraine may inspire a Chinese attack, according to Daily Mail.
Last week, Putin ordered the Russian defense minister and the chief of the military's general staff to deploy nuclear deterrent forces on a "special regime of combat duty," implying that tensions may escalate into a nuclear conflict.
The United States Air Force has 400 Minuteman III missiles on alert at three locations in the West and Midwest, each with a single nuclear warhead. Every four years, the Air Force conducts a test of nuclear-capable missiles, firing an unarmed missile 4,000 miles into space before landing near the Marshall Islands.
Seventy percent of the US nuclear weapons are stationed below the sea, aboard ballistic missile submarines. Multiple nuclear warheads, each 30 times more powerful than the nuclear bombs unleashed on Japan in 1945, are carried by such nuclear missiles, Fox News reported.
What Is Minuteman III?
The nuclear-capable Minuteman III is an important element of the US military's strategic arsenal, with a range of over 6,000 miles (9,660 km) and a top speed of almost 15,000 miles per hour (24,000 kph). Missiles are distributed by launch teams in fortified subterranean launchers.
Senator Jim Inhofe, the senior Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, expressed disappointment at the delay, stating that the test was necessary to maintain America's nuclear deterrence. According to the Pentagon, the delay will have no impact on the situation.
Following Putin's command the day before, Russia's defense ministry said on Monday that its nuclear missile units, as well as its Northern and Pacific fleets, had been placed on increased combat duty.
According to Pavel Podvig, a senior researcher at the UN Institute for Disarmament Research in Geneva, the order may have activated Russia's nuclear command and control system, thereby enabling communication channels for any future launch order. Alternatively, he believes it is possible that the Russians simply increased the number of people working at their nuclear sites.
Despite this, the Biden administration has not confirmed any specific steps taken by Russia's nuclear forces in response to the declaration, such as the possible removal of weapons from storage or the repositioning of nuclear force personnel.
On Monday, President Joe Biden stated that Americans should not be concerned about a nuclear conflict while Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on Wednesday that his government was confident in America's security posture, as per NDTV.
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