An operational test launch of an Air Force Global Strike Command unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile was launched Wednesday morning from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
The launch took off at 5:11 a.m. according to Vandenberg officials.
In a press release, base officials say the missile launched with a launch command delivered from the Air Launch Control System on a Navy E-6 TACAMO, which stands for “take charge and move out.”
This test launch is part of routine and periodic activities intended to demonstrate that the United States’ nuclear deterrent is safe, secure, reliable, and effective to deter twenty-first-century threats and reassure our allies.
Such tests have occurred over 300 times before, and this test is not the result of current world events, officials say.
