- The US fired an unarmed ICBM days after Trump's call to immediately restart testing for nuclear weapons
- The Air Force said that it conducted the test of Minuteman III ICBM from Vandenberg Space Force Base
- The rocket landed near the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site in the Marshall Islands
The United States (US) on Wednesday fired an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) nearly a week after President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to immediately restart the process for testing nuclear weapons.
In a statement, the Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) said that it conducted the test launch of an unarmed Minuteman III ICBM from the Vandenberg Space Force Base.
The unarmed rocket landed near the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site in the Marshall Islands.
The test, designated GT 254, evaluated the ongoing reliability, operational readiness, and accuracy of the ICBM system.
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"A team of AFGSC airmen from the 625th Strategic Operations Squadron employing the Airborne Launch Control System from aboard a US Navy E-6B Mercury aircraft, initiated the launch, testing the effectiveness and continuous availability of the ALCS, a backup command and control system for the ICBM force," the statement said.
Lieutenant Colonel Karrie Wray, commander of the 576th Flight Test Squadron, said, "GT 254 is not just a launch - it's a comprehensive assessment to verify and validate the ICBM system's ability to perform its critical mission."
"The data collected during the test is invaluable in ensuring the continued reliability and accuracy of the ICBM weapon system," Wray added.
On October 30, President Trump ordered the Pentagon to resume testing of nuclear weapons after a halt of 33 years, a move that looked to be a message to rival nuclear powers China and Russia.
"Because of other countries' testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our nuclear weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately," Trump said on Truth Social ahead of his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
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Trump highlighted that testing was needed to ensure the US was keeping up with rival nuclear powers.
"With others doing testing, I think it's appropriate that we do also," Trump told reporters.
On being asked whether the world was entering a more risky phase around nuclear weapons, Trump dismissed the threat, saying US stocks were "well locked up" before adding that he would welcome denuclearisation.
"I'd like to see a denuclearisation because we have so many, and Russia's second and China's third, and China will catch up within four or five years," he said.
