- By Shivangi Sharma
- Thu, 06 Nov 2025 07:29 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
In a development that has reignited concerns about a renewed global nuclear arms race, the United States test-fired a Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) on Wednesday. The launch came just days after US President Donald Trump publicly urged the military to resume nuclear weapons testing for the first time in more than three decades. While officials insist the operation was routine, the timing has sparked intense debate.
The unarmed, nuclear-capable missile was launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California under the oversight of the Air Force Global Strike Command. According to defence officials, Air Force personnel remotely initiated the launch from aboard a US Navy E-6B Mercury aircraft, a sophisticated airborne system designed to transmit launch commands even if ground facilities are destroyed in a conflict.
Purpose Of The Launch
Military leaders framed the operation, officially known as Glory Trip 254, or GT 254, as a means of testing the reliability, accuracy, and combat readiness of the ageing Minuteman missile system. "These launches ensure the integrity and reliability of the Nation's ICBM system," said Colonel Dustin Harmon, who leads the Air Force's 377th Test and Evaluation Group.
The Minuteman III flew approximately 4,200 miles over the Pacific before striking near the Army's Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defence Test Site in the Marshall Islands. Officials described the collected data as “invaluable.”
A Chilling Coincidence?
While the Air Force claims the test had been scheduled months earlier, it was briefly delayed following President Trump’s directive to prepare for renewed nuclear weapons testing.
The unusual proximity of the launch to Trump’s statements has fueled speculation that the US, may be preparing to modernise not just its arsenal, but its willingness to test real nuclear payloads again.
The Minuteman III, first deployed in 1970, is approaching the end of its operational life. The Pentagon plans to replace it with the next-generation Sentinel missile, though cost overruns and delays have plagued the program. Until then, the US continues to operate 400 Minuteman III missiles housed across silos in Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Wyoming.
As of January 2025, the United States possesses an estimated 3,700 nuclear warheads in both deployment and reserve. Approximately 800 are assigned to ICBMs — though only half are currently mounted and ready.