A1C Yvonne Morales via Wikimedia Commons

While the U.S. test firing unarmed, nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) is not rare – this was the fourth test this year – launching one now with three dummy warheads does send a message. Overnight the U.S. Air Force (USAF) Global Strike Command (AFGSC) conducted a test launch of an LGM-30G Minuteman III ICBM with an unusual load of three unarmed reentry vehicles.

Significantly, reported The Drive, the ICBM was actually fired by a joint crew of Air Force and Navy personnel onboard an E-6B Mercury airborne command post aircraft using a specialized launch control system called the Airborne Launch Control System (ALCS).

In a statement, U.S. Strategic Command stated that, “The ICBM’s three reentry vehicles traveled approximately 4,200 miles to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands,” adding that, “The test demonstrates that the United States’ nuclear deterrent is safe, secure, reliable and effective to deter twenty-first century threats and reassure our allies. Test launches are not a response or reaction to world events or regional tensions.”

Reportedly scheduled months in advance, this launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California – despite the disclaimer – still appears designed to send a clear signal to various potential nuclear-armed adversaries, including Russia, China, and North Korea.

America’s operational Minuteman III missiles are all currently armed with only a single warhead to conform to the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) with Russia.

As The Drive reports:

The Trump Administration has been focused on getting Russia to agree to limits on various novel strategic systems, including nuclear-armed hypersonic missiles, as well as nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed cruise missiles and long-range torpedoes, as part of discussions about extending the agreement. The U.S. government also wants China to join this strategic arms control regime, which authorities in Beijing have repeatedly expressed little desire to do

As such, it’s very possible that this could have acted as both a test of the weapon’s latent MIRV [Multiple Independently Targeted Re-entry Vehicles] capabilities and as a message to Russia that without New START, America’s ground-based nuclear deterrent could become exponentially more destructive.

If the New START negotiations were to fail, The Drive explains, the United States would then be free to again MIRV all its Minuteman III missiles and develop the same MIRV capability for its new planned  Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD).

This could essentially triple the number of U.S. nuclear warheads overnight. That should give pause to all of America’s nuclear-armed potential enemies – not just Russia.

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Comments

  1. Russia should basically just stay with the arms they have now, its enough to blow us away anyway, and ever time they get something we build something even bigger, Both Country’s should just keep what they have and stop spending money on over kill items.

    1. Wishful thinking. 

      Russia has deployed last year maneuvering Mach 8+ Hyper-sonic and Mach 20+ Hyper-glide missiles.

      bbc. com/news/world-europe-50927648#:~:text=President%20Vladimir%20Putin%20has%20said,them%20impossible%20to%20defend%20against.

      There is no US defense deployed to use against these FIRST STRIKE weapons.

  2. When you deal with Iran, North Korea, China, and maybe even Russia, you have to be aware that dealing with bully dictators, like Hitler, Stalin, Mao on those occasions that they did not beat the crud out of them, they went on to kill millions and destroy the lives of their entire countries.

  3. There is no way to convince China to do anything. They will say OK and then do whatever they want. Same for Russia.

    1. you forgot Iran and North Korea these countries spend most of there money on weapons’ and let people starve

    2. They are the one who sent this Corona virus all over the WORLD, I believe it is a communist country, they don’t mind doing at all.

  4. Were fed up with the wars, of the last two incompetent, leaders of our country,both doubled our debt, Bush got us into two wars, that were still fighting today, obuthead sold us out to our enemies, that he is still doing today. We are so glad we have a president, like Trump, that has a spine, and isn’t afraid to call bad actors out, with results.Peace through strength is the only way to fly, and Trump knows it.The other two incompetent, presidents,bush/obuthead can sit back, like they have been, and piss and whine all they want, about what’s happening, in this country, because they caused most of it. They can’t get over that Trump has had to fix all their screw ups, for the last 16 yrs, and has done a great job at it.

  5. i spent years on nuclear subs and i can tell you that we could hit any target in the world at any moment.the problem with land bases launch sites is they know where they are and we know where theirs our.and there are only two people that know where they are at all times.but also,it’s great to see the capability of our great military!

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