The US military has cancelled a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile test in order to reduce nuclear tensions with Russia during the Ukraine conflict.
On March 2, the Pentagon said that the test would be postponed after Russia warned it was placing its nuclear forces on high alert. At the time, Washington stated that both the US and Russia must ‘keep in mind the potential of mistake and take actions to mitigate such risks.’
However, it had merely announced publicly that it intended to postpone the test ‘a little bit,’ not cancel it.
The decision to cancel the LGM-30G Minuteman III missile test was made for the same reasons as when it was first postponed, according to Air Force spokesperson Ann Stefanek. Later this year, the next Minuteman III test will take place.
Stefanek stated, ‘The Air Force is confident in the readiness of the United States strategic forces.’
It can be contentious to change the test timetable for America’s ICBM force. Senator Jim Inhofe, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, voiced concern in March over the postponement of a test that he said was necessary to guarantee the effectiveness of America’s nuclear deterrence.
The impact of the cancellation was downplayed by Jeffrey Lewis, a missile researcher at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS).
‘There’s benefit in conducting the tests, but in the grand scheme of things, I don’t believe missing one test is a big issue,’ Lewis said, adding that the Minuteman III was exceedingly reliable.
The nuclear-capable Minuteman III is an important part of the US military’s strategic arsenal, with a range of more than 6,000 miles (9,660 km) and a top speed of almost 15,000 miles per hour (24,000 kph).
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