By John Ikani
The U.S. military will test launch an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on September 7, the Pentagon says, adding that Russia has been notified.
“There will be an operational test launch of an Air Force Global Strike command unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile early tomorrow morning, September 7, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California,” Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General.
It will be the second such US nuclear defense drill in less than a month.
The U.S. military delayed the test to avoid escalating tensions with Beijing during a Chinese show of force near Taiwan.
The last occurred on August 16 and tested a Minuteman III ICBM that carried a test reentry vehicle, which in a strategic conflict could be armed with a nuclear warhead.
The vehicle traveled about 6,760 kilometers to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands in the western Pacific.
Ryder said that this “routine” test had been long-scheduled and that the US had notified Russia and other countries of the plans.
He described the test as routine and said it was meant to demonstrate the readiness of the U.S. military’s nuclear forces and “provide confidence in the security and effectiveness of the nation’s nuclear deterrent.”
US tensions with Russia have increased with the former arming Ukraine with weapons that can do serious damage to Russian forces.
In the past several months, Washington has detailed tranches of new drones, harder-hitting missiles and deadly rocket systems as part of billions of dollars pledged to the former Soviet country.
The clear support is a far cry from the early days of the war, when the U.S. government seemed hesitant to list exactly what was being sent into Ukraine so as not to tip off or draw the ire of Moscow.
