US tests two unarmed Minuteman III nuclear weapons

The US military tested two unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles this week, with the Air Force noting that they were not driven by “current world events.”

The tests, involving the Air Force and Space Force, took place June 4 and 6 from Vandenberg Space Station, California, Air Force Global Strike Command said in press releases. This command is responsible for managing one branch of the US nuclear triad, which is also composed of nuclear weapons launched by submarines and bombers.

Defense News contacted the command to find out if the tests were deemed successful.

“The U.S. nuclear enterprise is the cornerstone of security for our allies and partners around the world,” Col. Chris Cruise, head of the 377th Test and Evaluation Group, said in the June 4 announcement. “Today's test launch is just one example of how our nation's ICBMs and the professional aviators who maintain and operate them demonstrate the readiness and reliability of the ICBM system. weapons. This demonstrates our commitment to deterrence while we are on continuous alert, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. »

Each missile's reentry vehicle traveled approximately 4,200 miles to the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site on Kwajalein Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands. The re-entry vehicles constitute the upper part of the ICBM which carries the nuclear warhead. They are designed to detach from the missile, arc through space, then re-enter Earth's atmosphere to reach their target.

The Minuteman III ICBM system first became operational in the 1970s and was expected to be in service for a decade. But today, about 50 years later, these weapons are still in use and will be in use well into the 2030s, according to a November statement from Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., who chairs the House Armed Service Committee.

The military intentionally destroyed an unarmed ICBM earlier this month during a test due to an anomaly, the Air Force said at the time.

“We must modernize our aging nuclear deterrent and replace the Minuteman III missile – and the rest of our nuclear enterprise – with modern systems,” Rogers said in response to the aborted test.

Indeed, the Air Force intends to deploy its next ICBM, called Sentinel, even if the program is behind schedule and its cost has increased beyond what was planned. After some delay, the first test flight of the nuclear missile is expected to take place in February 2026, according to Air Force budget documents.

In a joint press release in March, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Rep. John Garamendi of California noted inconsistencies in the Air Force's timeline for replacing the Minuteman III.

“The Sentinel program would replace the Minuteman III ICBM program, which had been deemed viable through the mid-2030s by Air Force leaders, with no potential life extension. However, this timeline is not consistent with the Air Force's plans to continue sustaining the Minuteman III program for the next 15 to 20 years while the Sentinel program is deployed in stages,” the two Democrats said. “Even assuming the Air Force is able to meet the planned schedule, the Air Force must rely on the Minuteman III at least through 2036.”