U.S. Air Force conducts test launch of unarmed Minuteman III ICBM from California
CBSN
The U.S. Air Force tested an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile with nuclear capabilities early Wednesday morning, as the Minuteman III launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at around 1:30 a.m. PT.
The long-range missile carried three test reentry vehicles and traveled roughly 4,200 miles from its launch site to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, the Air Force Global Strike Command said in a news release. Wednesday's launch was one of at least 300 nuclear tests that occurred previously, according to the agency, which noted that the latest one it came as part of a wider program meant to "demonstrate that the United States' nuclear deterrent is safe, secure, reliable and effective to deter twenty-first century threats and reassure our allies."
Calling the Minuteman III test launch an example of "routine and periodic activities" by the Air Force Global Strike Command, Wednesday's news release clarified that "this test is not the result of current world events."
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