US announces intercontinental missile test amid escalating tensions

A Minuteman III ICBM test in California in 2019

Brigadier General Pat Ryder, Pentagon spokesman, said the test will take place on November 1 at Vandenberg Space Force base in southern California (USA), according to defense.gov .

The spokesman noted that the missile would be fired from a silo and would not carry a nuclear warhead.

"The launch demonstrates the robust capabilities and high reliability of the US strategic deterrent system, while delivering a 'visible' message to reassure allies," Brigadier General Ryder said at a press conference at the Pentagon on October 31.

The ICBM test comes less than two months after the US Air Force Global Strike Command test-fired a Minuteman III missile from the same base. Like the most recent launch, the November 1 ICBM test event was described as pre-planned.

The Pentagon announced the launch of a Minuteman III missile at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions, as the war in Ukraine continues and the Hamas-Israel conflict escalates.

The US has cancelled or postponed at least two ICBM tests in the past year, citing concerns about causing “misunderstandings” with Russia and China. One test planned for August 2022 was postponed after then-Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei and the Chinese military conducted continuous and massive exercises around the Taiwan Strait.

In April 2022, the Pentagon announced the cancellation of a Minuteman III missile test amid the risk of escalating the conflict in Ukraine at a time when Russian nuclear forces were on high alert.

The Minuteman III was first deployed in 1970 and was originally intended to last 10 years. However, the missile has undergone modernization and upgrades to reach its current service life.

The replacement missile, called the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD), is expected to enter service in 2029. However, US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall admitted to the US Congress that it is unlikely to field the new ICBM as planned.

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