Newsweek: U.S. Prepares To Test Minuteman III Ballistic Missile

• 3.11.2025, 19:57

It is capable of carrying a nuclear charge and forms the basis of the US strategic deterrent.

The United States plans to test a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of carrying a nuclear payload, Newsweek writes after examining navigational reports. This is the first test of a nuclear weapon delivery vehicle since Trump's announcement that the United States is preparing nuclear tests.

The missile without a nuclear warhead is planned to be launched from the Vandenberg military base in California and will reach a missile defense range at Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, located in the central Pacific Ocean.

The U.S. Army tests available intercontinental ballistic missiles several times a year. The last time a similar exercise was held was in May, and twice last year. The Pentagon emphasizes that more than 300 tests of Minuteman missiles have been conducted, and they are not related to any external factors. "Minuteman III remains the foundation of our nation's strategic deterrent," Col. Dustin Harmon, commander of the 377th Test and Evaluation Group, said in May.