US fires Minuteman III missile after Trump's call to restart nuclear tests

The US Air Force successfully launched a Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. This test was conducted after President Trump called for a restart of nuclear weapons testing, which hasn't happened in over thirty years. The missile, unarmed, landed near the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site in the Marshall Islands.

The Minuteman III missile is part of America's nuclear deterrent strategy, designed to respond to an enemy nuclear attack. The US also possesses nuclear weapons that can be launched from submarines and bombers.