The test demonstrates that the United States’ nuclear deterrent is robust, flexible, ready.
A day after North Korea fired yet another ballistic missile as a show of strength in a world where nations fetishize their defence capabilities, the United States tested an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile - the Minuteman III.
The missile, launched from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Wednesday at 1:13 AM, shot up into the night sky in a 4,200-mile flight over the Pacific Ocean to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
A statement by the Air Force Global Strike Command, however, said that the Minuteman III launch from Vandenberg was 'not a response or reaction to world events or regional tensions' and that the test launches only demonstrate the United States' capability for launching intercontinental ballistic missiles. "The test demonstrates that the United States’ nuclear deterrent is robust, flexible, ready and appropriately tailored to deter twenty-first-century threats and reassure our allies," the statement said
It added that the ICBM test launch program demonstrates the operational capability of the Minuteman III and ensures the United States’ ability to maintain a strong, credible nuclear deterrent as a key element of U.S. national security and the security of U.S. allies and partners.
Meanwhile, North Korea said on Thursday that it had successfully test-fired a new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) from the sea to contain external threats and bolster self-defence, ahead of fresh nuclear talks with the United States.
The launch on Wednesday was the most provocative by North Korea since it resumed dialogue with the United States in 2018 and a reminder by Pyongyang of the weapons capability it has been aggressively developing, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, analysts said.
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