U.S. Test-Launches Minuteman III ICBM As Nuclear Tensions With Russia Remain Fragile

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

(Worthy News) – The U.S. Air Force launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Southern California early Wednesday, saying the long-planned test was designed to verify the readiness of America’s land-based nuclear deterrent.

Officials stressed the launch into the Pacific Ocean had been scheduled in advance and was not a response to current world events.

“Our ability to conduct these rigorous, realistic tests is foundational to our national security,” said Gen. S.L. Davis, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command. He said the launch confirmed the readiness of the ICBM force, from operators to the weapon system itself.

Engineers monitored the missile’s propulsion, guidance, and reentry systems under extreme physical stress. Lt. Col. Karrie Wray, commander of the 576th Flight Test Squadron, said the test helped confirm that the reentry vehicle could be delivered “with pinpoint accuracy.”

The Minuteman III, first deployed in 1970, remains the backbone of the land-based leg of America’s nuclear triad. Roughly 400 missiles remain on alert in Montana, Wyoming, and North Dakota, even as the Air Force prepares to replace the aging system with the LGM-35A Sentinel.

The U.S. launch comes just days after Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed a test of Russia’s RS-28 Sarmat missile, known in the West as “Satan II,” calling it the “most powerful missile in the world.” Moscow says the Sarmat is designed to carry multiple nuclear warheads and eventually replace older Soviet-era Voyevoda missiles.

The timing underscores a delicate and increasingly dangerous moment between Washington and Moscow. The last major U.S.-Russia nuclear arms control agreement, New START, is set to expire in 2026, while Russia suspended participation in the treaty in 2023 after the war in Ukraine deepened its confrontation with the West. Reuters reported in 2024 that Moscow did not plan to sign a replacement agreement, leaving the world’s two largest nuclear powers without a clear arms-control framework if no new deal is reached.

For now, both nations are pressing ahead with nuclear modernization. The United States says its testing is meant to ensure deterrence remains safe, reliable, and effective. Russia, meanwhile, is using new weapons tests to project strength at a time when its relations with NATO and Washington are badly fractured.

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