Defense
US Air Force/Staff Sgt. J.T. Armstrong
An unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launches during an operational test at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, at 1:13 a.m. Pacific Time, October 2, 2019.
- US airmen at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana launched an unarmed ICBM from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in the early morning hours on Wednesday.
- Test launches are not a response to anything, the Air Force says; rather they demonstrate that the US nuclear deterrent is robust and ready.
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BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, Louisiana - A team of Air Force Global Strike Command airmen from the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with a test reentry vehicle at 1:13 a.m. Pacific Time, October 2, 2019, from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
The test demonstrates that the United States' nuclear deterrent is robust, flexible, ready and appropriately tailored to deter 21st-century threats and reassure our allies. Test launches are not a response or reaction to world events or regional tensions.
The ICBM's reentry vehicle traveled approximately 4,200 miles to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. These test launches verify the accuracy and reliability of the ICBM weapon system, providing valuable data to ensure a continued safe, secure and effective nuclear deterrent.