The US military says its latest test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) was ‘not a response’ to North Korea’s ballistic missile program.
The US Air Force said early Wednesday that it had successfully launched an unarmed Minuteman III missile, capable of delivering several nuclear warheads.
The ICBM was launched at around 2 am local time from the Air Force’s North Vandenberg Air Force Base, nearly 130 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
“While not a response to recent North Korean actions, the test demonstrates that the United States’ nuclear enterprise is safe, secure, effective and ready to be able to deter, detect and defend against attacks on the United States and its allies,” the USAF said in a statement.
Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis said Monday that the Minuteman’s flight was the longest light of a ballistic missile in the country’s history.
After traveling some 4,200 miles (6,800 kilometers) across the…