Today, the United States Air Force (USAF) once again demonstrated its deterrence capabilities with the launch of one of its Minuteman III ballistic missiles. The operation was carried out by personnel from the USAF Global Strike Command stationed at Vandenberg Space Force Base. As this was a training and capability demonstration activity, the missile was launched equipped with a single telemetry test reentry vehicle, with the launch taking place at 1:00 a.m. Pacific Time.
Referring to the event, Acting Secretary of the U.S. Air Force Gary Ashworth stated: “Today’s Minuteman III test launch is just one of the ways the Department of the Air Force demonstrates the readiness, precision, and professionalism of U.S. nuclear forces,” said Acting Secretary of the Air Force Gary Ashworth. “It also provides confidence in the lethality and effectiveness of the nation’s nuclear deterrence mission.”
As officially communicated, far from being intended as a provocation to other nations, this Minuteman III missile launch is part of routine activities to assess U.S. nuclear capabilities, aiming to demonstrate their viability and reliability. For the USAF, the Vandenberg Space Force Base Test Range has become one of the preferred locations for conducting such tests, with support not only from members of the institution established in 2019 but also from the 377th Test and Evaluation Group stationed there.
As with the more than 300 previous tests of the system, the institution stated that this event had been planned for years for the aforementioned purpose. It was noted that the last such launch took place in November from Vandenberg Base toward the Marshall Islands. Additionally, in compliance with the Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation, more than 140 signatory countries, including Russia, were notified of the launch plans in advance.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that the U.S. Air Force is currently in the process of developing its future nuclear deterrence capability with the new LG-35A Sentinel missiles. This program has been controversial due to significant cost overruns in violation of the Nunn-McCurdy Act. In this regard, today’s launch provided an ideal opportunity to collect data on the performance of current capabilities and assess potential additional requirements for the new platform.
As stated by Colonel Dustin Harmon, commander of the 377th Test and Evaluation Group: “During this test, we collected and analyzed performance and other key data points to evaluate current missile system competencies,” said Col. Dustin Harmon, 377th TEG commander. “This allows our team to analyze and report accuracy and reliability for the current system while validating projected missile system improvements. The data we collect and analyze is crucial for maintaining Minuteman III while we pave the way for Sentinel.”
Image credits: Sergeant Joshua LeRoi; Airman First Class Olga Houtsma.
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