Free Republic

Vandenberg Space Force Base announced the U.S. military will be test-launching an unarmed nuclear missile from northern Santa Barbara County early Wednesday morning. Southern California residents awake between the scheduled launch hours of 12:01 a.m. and 5:01 a.m. on May 21 might be able to hear or catch a glimpse of the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Air Force Global Strike Command explained that the test launch of this rocket-propelled weapon is to “demonstrate the readiness of U.S. nuclear forces,” and to prove the “lethality and effectiveness of the nation’s nuclear deterrent.”

The U.S. Air Force and Space Force collaborated on a test missile launch Wednesday amid rising tensions with North Korea. Air Force Global Strike Command test launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from the Vandenberg Space Force Base. White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan issued a stern warning to North Korea during a press briefing on Tuesday, responding to reports that dictator Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin may meet in-person.

US test-fires ICBM traveling 4,000 miles to South Pacific Published April 26, 2017 Fox News The U.S. Air Force test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile which traveled over 4,000 miles before splashing down in the South Pacific after launching early Wednesday from a base in California. The nuclear-capable missile was unarmed, according to the Air Force, and comes amid increasing tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The Minuteman III missile blasted off at 12:03 a.m. Wednesday from Vandenberg Air Force Base, 130 miles northwest of Los Angeles.