U.S. Air Force tests ICBM from Vandenberg to demonstrate deterrence capability

An unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile was launched during an operational test from an air base in California just after midnight on Wednesday morning amid growing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

The Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with a single test re-entry vehicle was launched at 12:03 am PDT (8:03 am GMT) by a combined team of U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command Airmen. By all accounts the launch was a success.

According to U.S. Air Force, the ICBM's re-entry vehicle, which contained a telemetry package used for operational testing, traveled to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, approximately 4,200 miles away from the launch site.

The ICBM test launch program demonstrates the operational credibility of the Minuteman III and ensures the United States' ability to maintain a strong, credible nuclear deterrent as a key element of U.S. national security and the security of U.S. allies and partners.

The Minuteman III is one of three legs of the U.S. nuclear triad, which is also comprised of strategic bombers such as the B-52 Stratofortress and B-2 Spirit, as well as submarine launched ballistic missions, provided by Navy submarines.

Though U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command routinely conducts ICBM test launches from Vandenberg, the latest is still a great concern amid heightened tensions between the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Vandenberg will be one of two bases in the U.S. to conduct a large-scale test in May.

The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, a nonprofit organization supporting worldwide efforts to abolish nuclear weapons, criticized on Monday the timing of the launch and "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," said David Krieger, President of the foundation in a statement. Endit