MADRID, Aug. 16 (.) –
The United States launched an intercontinental ballistic missile from the Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on Tuesday, after delaying the test due to a possible escalation of tensions with China due to the visit of the president of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi. , to Taiwan.
“This test launch is part of routine, periodic activities designed to demonstrate that America’s nuclear deterrent is safe, reliable, and effective in deterring 21st century threats and reassuring our allies,” he said in a statement. the US Air Force.
The tests “have occurred more than 300 times before”, so “they are not the result of current world events”, as they have explained, after the delay ordered by the Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, on August 4 to avoid an escalation of tensions with China before Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
The test of the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which has traveled approximately 2,600 kilometers to the Kwajalein atoll in the Marshall Islands, is, according to the commander of the 576th Flight Test Squadron, Chris Cruise, a “great way to show the skills and the experience of the staff.
“While China engages in destabilizing military exercises around Taiwan, the United States is demonstrating responsible nuclear behavior by reducing the risks of miscalculation,” White House spokesman John Kirby said at the time. the newspaper ‘The Wall Street Journal’.
Last March, Washington also carried out a test with this hypersonic weapon, despite not disclosing it to avoid an escalation of tensions in relations with Russia before the visit of US President Joe Biden to Europe.
