An unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile was launched just after midnight Wednesday from Vandenberg Air Force Base as part of an operational test, according to the U.S. Air Force.

The Minuteman III missile test launch occurred at 12:03 a.m. from the base northwest of Lompoc, according to Vandenberg’s 30th Space Wing. The launch command was delivered from the Airborne Launch Control System on a Navy E-6 Mercury jet, according to Air Force Global Strike Command.

The missile, which was equipped with a nonexplosive payload that recorded flight data, traveled 4,200 miles to a test range in Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, according to the Air Force.

Col. Chris Moss, Vandenberg’s 30th Space Wing commander, said the test launch was “an important demonstration of our nation's nuclear deterrent capability.”

The test was conducted by the Air Force Global Strike Command’s team from the 90th Missile wing at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming, 341st Missile wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana and the 625th Strategic Operations Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. The F.E. Warren Air Force Base is one of three missile bases overseeing the country’s intercontinental ballistic missile forces.

The missile has been in service for 60 years, but it has been upgraded over the years with improved targeting and enhanced accuracy systems, the Air Force said.

On Monday, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, criticized the timing of the launch, citing heightened tension between the U.S. and North Korea. In recent weeks, North Korea has stepped up its testing of ballistic missiles.

“When it comes to missile testing, the U.S. is operating with a clear double standard: It views its own tests as justified and useful, while it views the tests of North Korea as threatening and destabilizing,” foundation President David Krieger said in a statement. “What is needed is diplomacy rather than military provocations. Threats, whether in the form of tweets, nuclear-capable aircraft carrier groups, or nuclear-capable missile launches, only increase the dangers to us all.”</s>VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. — An unarmed Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missile has been launched from a U.S. Air Force Base in California on a flight to a target in the Pacific Ocean.

The missile lifted off at 12:03 a.m. Wednesday from Vandenberg Air Force Base, 130 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

An Air Force statement said the mission was part of a program to test the effectiveness, readiness, and accuracy of the weapon system.

The 30th Space Wing commander, Col. John Moss, said Minuteman launches are essential to verify the status of the U.S. nuclear force and to demonstrate the national nuclear capabilities.

In a Minuteman test, a so-called re-entry vehicle travels more than 4,000 miles downrange to a target at Kwajalein Atoll near the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

"Team V is once again ready to work with Air Force Global Strike Command to successfully launch another Minuteman III missile," Moss said. "These Minuteman launches are essential to verify the status of our national nuclear force and to demonstrate our national nuclear capabilities. We are proud of our long history in partnering with the men and women of the 576th Flight Test Squadron to execute these missions for the nation."

The 576th Flight Test Squadron will be responsible for installed tracking, telemetry, and command destruct systems on the missile.</s>After the tension from North Korea’s possession of illegal weaponry surfaced online, the U.S. is all set to conduct its own Minuteman III ICBM test in California’s Air Force Base.

The said test launch from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base will involve an unarmed Minuteman III ICBM and is scheduled to take place between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m. PST. According to a statement released from Col. John Moss, 30th Space Wing commander, the purpose of the ICBM is to verify the status of America’s nuclear force and demonstrate what their free world is capable of.

These Minuteman III ICBM missile tests come amid the rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula, with a carrier strike group led by the USS Carl Vinson approaching North Korea through waters. However, Moss, who is going to supervise the entire operation, stated that these launches are planned three to five years in advance and it has no connection with the ongoing tension between America and North Korea.

Lt. Col. Deane Konowicz, the 625th Strategic Operations Squadron commander added in a statement that these simulated tests are a signal to other nations that America’s ICBM are “lethal and ready.” He added the following in a released statement,

The Minuteman III ballistic missiles were initially developed in 1970 and are currently approaching the end of their useful lifespan of 60 years. The LGM-30 Minuteman III is armed with a W62 warhead, heaving a yield of only 170 kilotons TNT. The existing Minuteman-III missiles have been improved over the decades in service, with more than $7 billion spent in the last decade to upgrade the 450 missiles.

On one hand, there are many who have accepted the fact that the use of a nuclear weapon is the only way out from the ongoing tension arose by Kim Jong-un, there are many organizations who are criticizing the drills.

The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation has accused the United States of having double standards when it comes to using nuclear weapons against other countries. The foundation’s president David Krieger was cited by Los Angles Times as responding,

“When it comes to missile testing, the U.S. is operating with a clear double standard: It views its own tests as justified and useful, while it views the tests of North Korea as threatening and destabilizing. What is needed is diplomacy rather than military provocations. Threats, whether in the form of tweets, nuclear-capable aircraft carrier groups, or nuclear-capable missile launches, only increase the dangers to us all.”

Apart from the Minuteman III ICBM test launch in California, the US’s seventh Fleet said in a statement released on Tuesday that they are conducting a maritime exercise with naval ships from South Korea and Japan to demonstrate their similar concerns.

Keep checking this space for the latest updates on the U.S. Minuteman IIIC ICBM launch amid North Korea tensions.</s>VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) — An unarmed Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missile has been launched from a U.S. Air Force Base in California on a flight to a target in the Pacific Ocean.

The missile lifted off at 12:03 a.m. Wednesday from Vandenberg Air Force Base, 130 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

An Air Force statement said the mission was part of a program to test the effectiveness, readiness, and accuracy of the weapon system.

The 30th Space Wing commander, Col. John Moss, said Minuteman launches are essential to verify the status of the U.S. nuclear force and to demonstrate the national nuclear capabilities.

In a Minuteman test, a so-called re-entry vehicle travels more than 4,000 miles downrange to a target at Kwajalein Atoll near the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

“Team V is once again ready to work with Air Force Global Strike Command to successfully launch another Minuteman III missile,” Moss said. “These Minuteman launches are essential to verify the status of our national nuclear force and to demonstrate our national nuclear capabilities. We are proud of our long history in partnering with the men and women of the 576th Flight Test Squadron to execute these missions for the nation.”

The 576th Flight Test Squadron will be responsible for installed tracking, telemetry, and command destruct systems on the missile.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) — An unarmed Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missile has been launched from a U.S. Air Force Base in California on a flight to a target in the Pacific Ocean.

The missile lifted off at 12:03 a.m. Wednesday from Vandenberg Air Force Base, 130 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

An Air Force statement said the mission was part of a program to test the effectiveness, readiness, and accuracy of the weapon system.

The 30th Space Wing commander, Col. John Moss, said Minuteman launches are essential to verify the status of the U.S. nuclear force and to demonstrate the national nuclear capabilities.

In a Minuteman test, a so-called re-entry vehicle travels more than 4,000 miles downrange to a target at Kwajalein Atoll near the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

“Team V is once again ready to work with Air Force Global Strike Command to successfully launch another Minuteman III missile,” Moss said. “These Minuteman launches are essential to verify the status of our national nuclear force and to demonstrate our national nuclear capabilities. We are proud of our long history in partnering with the men and women of the 576th Flight Test Squadron to execute these missions for the nation.”

The 576th Flight Test Squadron will be responsible for installed tracking, telemetry, and command destruct systems on the missile.</s>Deployed from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the missile traveled roughly 4,200 miles to a test range near the Marshall Islands.

An Air Force statement called the test "an important demonstration of our nation's nuclear deterrent capability."

The test launched a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile from the Airborne Launch Control System on a Navy E-6 Mercury jet, according to the Air Force.

The US regularly tests its intercontinental weapon system to verify its accuracy and reliability -- with launches scheduled long in advance, according to defense officials.

But while the Air Force has conducted a similar missile test as recently as February 7, Wednesday's launch is notable in that it occurred amid rising tensions and military flexing over North Korea's own nuclear program. The Minuteman III is traditionally known as the only land-based leg to the US nuclear triad. But Wednesday's test highlighted the Air Force's ability to also launch the intercontinental ballistic missile from controls in an aircraft -- a measure primarily used in a back-up role in case another deployment system fails. "Today's test launch used an intercontinental ballistic missile pulled randomly from a silo on F.E. Warren Air Force Base, which was then transported and reassembled at Vandenberg, and launched by crew members," the Air Force statement said. The other two parts of the triad are the Trident submarine-launched ballistic missile and nuclear weapons carried by long-range strategic bombers. First deployed in the 1960s as part of the U.S. nuclear deterrent program, the Minuteman system is supposed to ensure that missiles can be launched quickly and at any time. Missiles are dispersed in silos and connected to an underground launch control where crews are on standby around the clock. The United States currently has 450 Minutemen III missiles in silos at Warren AFB, Malmstrom AFB in Montana and Minot AFB in North Dakota, according to the Air Force</s>VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) - An unarmed Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missile has been launched from a U.S. Air Force Base in California on a flight to a target in the Pacific Ocean.

The missile lifted off at 12:03 a.m. Wednesday from Vandenberg Air Force Base, 130 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

An Air Force statement said the mission was part of a program to test the effectiveness, readiness, and accuracy of the weapon system.

The 30th Space Wing commander, Col. John Moss, said Minuteman launches are essential to verify the status of the U.S. nuclear force and to demonstrate the national nuclear capabilities.

In a Minuteman test, a so-called re-entry vehicle travels more than 4,000 miles downrange to a target at Kwajalein Atoll near the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

"Team V is once again ready to work with Air Force Global Strike Command to successfully launch another Minuteman III missile," Moss said. "These Minuteman launches are essential to verify the status of our national nuclear force and to demonstrate our national nuclear capabilities. We are proud of our long history in partnering with the men and women of the 576th Flight Test Squadron to execute these missions for the nation."

The 576th Flight Test Squadron will be responsible for installed tracking, telemetry, and command destruct systems on the missile.</s>The U.S. test fired the Boeing (BA)-made Minuteman III missile amid growing tensions with North Korea over the Kim regime’s nuclear program.

The Minuteman III is an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of carrying nuclear warheads. When it was built in the 1970s, each missile had a price tag of $7 million, or more than $40 million in current dollars. Since the initial production run, the Air Force has made upgrades to the Minuteman III including modern targeting systems.

The missile test, conducted from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, sent a Minuteman III about 4,200 miles to a test range in the Marshall Islands.

Col. John Moss, 30th Space Wing commander, said the launch “was an important demonstration of our nation’s nuclear deterrent capability.”

“Test launches like this one are vital to validating the effectiveness and readiness of our operational nuclear systems, so it is critical that they are successful,” Col. Moss added.

Also on Wednesday, the U.S. began installing an anti-missile battery in South Korea to defend against threats from North Korea. The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, made by Lockheed Martin (LMT), is expected to be operational in South Korea in a matter of days, according to congressional testimony by Adm. Harry Harris, head of U.S. Pacific Command.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy recently deployed a strike group led by the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson to the region.

The Pentagon’s moves come as the White House is scheduled on Wednesday to host the entire Senate for a briefing on North Korea. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary James Mattis, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will lead the meeting, the White House said.

Majority leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said he asked the Trump administration to update all senators on the issue.

“Kim Jong-Un has, by all appearances, broken from a predictable cycle of escalation demonstrated by previous leaders, where the regime takes a provocative action, draws the U.S. into a negotiation, and extracts concessions. Instead, Kim appears willing to risk the disapproval of the U.N. and our regional allies by undertaking a breakneck testing program,” Sen. McConnell said in a statement ahead of the briefing.</s>VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The U.S. Air Force launched an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile from California Vandenberg Air Force Base early Wednesday morning.

The Air Force officer in charge of the test called the launch, "an important demonstration of our nation's nuclear deterrent capability."

The missile was was equipped with a nonexplosive payload that recorded flight data. It traveled 4,200 miles to a test range in the Marshall Islands, the Air Force said.

The launch comes amid growing tensions between the United States and North Korea.

It has been more than a month since the U.S. and South Korea publicly declared North Korea was ready to conduct its sixth nuclear test. No detonation has happened.

Meanwhile, all 100 U.S. senators were invited to a meeting on North Korea at the White House on Wednesday. It's unclear if President Donald Trump will attend.</s>WASHINGTON, D.C. — The US Air Force test-fired an unarmed long-range missile capable of carrying a nuclear weapon, Wednesday, according to the Air Force Global Strike Command.

Deployed from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the missile traveled roughly 4,200 miles to a test range near the Marshall Islands.

An Air Force statement called the test “an important demonstration of our nation’s nuclear deterrent capability.”

The test launched a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile from the Airborne Launch Control System on a Navy E-6 Mercury jet, according to the Air Force.

The US regularly tests its intercontinental weapon system to verify its accuracy and reliability — with launches scheduled long in advance, according to defense officials.

But while the Air Force has conducted a similar missile test as recently as February 7, Wednesday’s launch is notable in that it occurred amid rising tensions and military flexing over North Korea’s own nuclear program.

The Minuteman III is traditionally known as the only land-based leg to the US nuclear triad. But Wednesday’s test highlighted the Air Force’s ability to also launch the intercontinental ballistic missile from controls in an aircraft — a measure primarily used in a back-up role in case another deployment system fails.

“Today’s test launch used an intercontinental ballistic missile pulled randomly from a silo on F.E. Warren Air Force Base, which was then transported and reassembled at Vandenberg, and launched by crew members,” the Air Force statement said.

The other two parts of the triad are the Trident submarine-launched ballistic missile and nuclear weapons carried by long-range strategic bombers.

First deployed in the 1960s as part of the U.S. nuclear deterrent program, the Minuteman system is supposed to ensure that missiles can be launched quickly and at any time.

Missiles are dispersed in silos and connected to an underground launch control where crews are on standby around the clock.

The United States currently has 450 Minutemen III missiles in silos at Warren AFB, Malmstrom AFB in Montana and Minot AFB in North Dakota, according to the Air Force.
The United States test launch a Minuteman III missile from California to the Marshall Islands.