The United States is preparing to conduct the first test of an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead since Donald Trump ordered it. Although the test is considered planned, it comes shortly after Trump called for the immediate start of nuclear weapons tests in response to the actions of Russia and China. This is reported by Newsweek.
Last week, US President Donald Trump ordered the US Department of Defense to immediately begin testing nuclear weapons, as Russia and China – the main nuclear rivals of the United States – continue to test their arsenals. Energy Secretary Chris Wright clarified that these tests will not include real explosions, but will be aimed at testing other components of nuclear weapons.
The US Air Force Global Strike Command has already issued navigational warnings about the closure of certain areas in the Pacific Ocean. According to Marco Langbroek, a lecturer in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, this is a test of the Minuteman III missile, which is scheduled to take place between November 5 and 6.
The missile is planned to be launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, and its trajectory will pass to the Ronald Reagan Test Site on Kwajalein Atoll (Marshall Islands). The missile will not have a nuclear warhead.
The US Air Force Global Strike Command notes that the test is “routine” and not a response to any external events:
“The Air Force conducts several flight tests of Minuteman III missiles each year.”
