Washington, November 7, 2025 – The United States Air Force conducted a new test launch of an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, in an exercise to verify the country's strategic deterrence capability.
The U.S. administration maintains that the Minuteman III tests — despite not carrying a nuclear payload — are an unequivocal message that the country's deterrent capability “remains fully operational and in constant evolution.” In an international scenario marked by mutual distrust and the modernization of strategic arsenals, the test launch from Vandenberg reaffirms the United States' commitment to the doctrine of “credible deterrence” and the continuity of its technological superiority in nuclear defense.
A military official added that the GT-254 evaluation “directly contributes to guaranteeing the constant accuracy and reliability of our deterrent system.”
The Minuteman III, originally designed by Boeing, is part of the U.S. nuclear triad alongside Ohio-class strategic submarines and B-52 and B-2 bombers. According to the official, the data collected is essential to ensure the continuous reliability and accuracy of the Minuteman III, a system operational since the 1970s and which remains a key piece of American deterrence power.
The test, scheduled in advance, is part of a series of annual routine launches that allow the Pentagon to analyze the performance of its missiles, its control systems, and interoperability with strategic command forces.
However, this new test takes on special relevance as it coincides with a geopolitical climate of growing tension and technological competition among the great powers. General Stephen L. Davis, a high-ranking Air Force official, emphasized that “as we modernize our system with the Sentinel weapon system program, we must continue to maintain the operational capability of our current Minuteman III fleet.”
The missile, officially identified as GT-254, traveled approximately 6,760 kilometers before impacting its target at the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, located on the Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands.
The operation was carried out by the 625th Strategic Operations Squadron of the Global Strike Command, with technical support from the U.S. Navy's E-6B Mercury command and control aircraft.
Lieutenant Colonel Karrie Wray, commander of the 576th Flight Test Squadron, explained that the test “is not just a launch, but a comprehensive evaluation to verify and validate the capability of the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system to perform its critical mission.”
Its service life, initially planned for four decades, has been extended through successive modernization programs while awaiting the arrival of its replacement: the LGM-35A Sentinel, currently in development by Northrop Grumman.
The new Sentinel missile is scheduled to gradually replace the Minuteman III starting in 2030, but the process is facing delays and cost overruns, forcing the Department of Defense to maintain the operational status of the current system for longer than anticipated.
The test came just days after President Donald Trump announced his decision to resume nuclear testing, suspended for more than three decades, arguing that the measure is a response to the increase in weapons testing by Russia and China.
According to the head of state, Washington “cannot remain idle while its rivals develop advanced strategic capabilities.” Recent Russian launches of nuclear-powered Burevestnik missiles and Poseidon underwater drones, as well as Chinese hypersonic tests, have fueled the perception in the Pentagon that the arms race has entered a new phase.
