The US military tested two unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles this week, with the Air Force noting they were not driven by “current world events.”
The tests, which involved the Air Force and Space Force, took place June 4 and 6 at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, Air Force Global Strike Command noted in its news releases. This command is tasked with dealing with one leg of the United States’ nuclear triad, which is also comprised of submarine- and bomber-launched nuclear weapons.
Defense News contacted the command to find out if the tests were considered successful.
“The U.S. nuclear enterprise is the cornerstone of security for our allies and partners around the world,” said Col. Chris Cruise, chief of the 377th Test and Evaluation Group, 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 weapon system’s readiness and reliability. This demonstrates our commitment to deterrence while remaining 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 in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Reentry vehicles are the upper part of the ICBM that carries the nuclear warhead. They are designed to separate from the missile, arc into space and then re-enter Earth’s atmosphere to strike the intended target.
The Minuteman III ICBM system became for the first time operational in the 1970s and was supposed to be in service for a decade. But now, some 50 years later, the guns are still in use and will remain so until the 2030s, according to a November statement from Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Alabama, who chairs the House Armed Services Committee.
The military intentionally destroyed an unarmed ICBM earlier this month during a test due to a anomalythe Air Force said at the time.
“We must modernize our aging nuclear deterrent and replace the Minuteman III missile – as well as the rest of our nuclear enterprise – with modern systems,” Rogers said in response to the aborted test.
In fact, the Air Force intends to field its next ICBM, called Sentinel, although the program is behind schedule and its cost has grown beyond expectations. After a delay, the first nuclear missile test flight is expected to take place in February 2026, according to Air Force budget documents.
In a joint March press release, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Representative 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 was considered viable until the mid-2030s by Air Force leaders, without potential extension of its service life. However, this timeline is inconsistent with the Air Force’s plans to continue to maintain the Minuteman III program over the next 15 to 20 years while the Sentinel program is implemented in phases,” the two Democrats said. “Even assuming the Air Force is able to meet the intended timeline, the Air Force must rely on the Minuteman III until at least 2036.”
