US Air Force Tests Long-Range Missile That Can Stop Nuclear Weapons [Full Details]

The United States Air Force conducted tests on Tuesday for an unarmed nuclear-capable long-range missile, said the Air Force Global Strike Command.

The unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), and comes equipped with a test re-entry vehicle. The missile was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and was able to travel 4,200 miles to a test range near the Marshall Islands.

Long-Range Missile Tests

Authorities conducted the test at roughly 12:49 a.m. PT in an attempt "to demonstrate the readiness of U.S. nuclear forces and provide confidence in the lethality and effectiveness of the nation's nuclear deterrent."

The statement read, "This test launch is part of routine and periodic activities intended to demonstrate that the United States' nuclear deterrent is safe, secure, reliable, and effective to deter twenty-first-century threats and reassure our allies. Such tests have occurred more than 300 times before, and this test is not the result of current world events."

The launch was initially scheduled for Aug. 4, said a spokesman for AF Global Strike Command Steven Wilson. However, it was delayed over concerns about China's response to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, as per CNN.

The U.S. regularly tests its intercontinental weapon system to verify its accuracy and reliability. In a statement, 576th Flight Test Squadron Commander Col. Chris Cruise said, "Make no mistake, our nuclear triad is the cornerstone of the national security of our country and of our allies around the globe."

The official added that the scheduled test launch was demonstrative of how the country's ICBM fleet illustrates the weapon system's readiness and reliability. He added that it was also a great platform to show the skill sets and expertise of the U.S.'s strategic weapons maintenance personnel.

According to Reuters, the tests come after China deployed scores of planes and fired live missiles in the Taiwan Strait. Beijing considers the self-governing island nation a part of its territory and has never renounced using force to bring it under its control.

Global Nuclear Capabilities

The missile tests suggest that Washington is less worried about the situation escalating around Taiwan, at least in the short term. United States President Joe Biden's administration has said that it would continue to carry out routine air and naval operations in the Taiwan Strait in the coming weeks.

On the other hand, China's military said that it carried out more exercises near Taiwan on Monday as a group of American lawmakers visited Taipei and met with President Tsai Ing-wen. The U.S. military also canceled a test of its Minuteman ICBM in April due to lower nuclear tensions with Russia during the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Minuteman missiles have formed the core of the U.S. land-based nuclear capability in the last six decades. At the time of the April cancellation, Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Todd Breasseale said that the Department of the Air Force made the decision to delay the missile test out of an overabundance of caution over global events, NBC News reported.