The US had publicly said it only intended to delay the test “a little bit”, not cancel it. (Representative)
Washington:
The US military has canceled a test of its Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile, initially intended only to delay easing nuclear tensions with Russia during the war in Ukraine, the Air Force told Reuters on Friday.
The Pentagon first announced the delay in the test on March 2, when Russia said it was putting its nuclear forces on high alert. Washington said at the time it was important that both the United States and Russia “take into account the risk of miscalculations and take steps to reduce those risks.”
But it had not publicly stated its intention to delay the trial only “a little bit” and to cancel it.
Air Force spokesman Ann Stefanek said the decision to cancel the test of the LGM-30G Minuteman III missile was taken for the same reasons it was first delayed. The next Minuteman III test is due later this year.
“The Air Force has full confidence in the preparedness of America’s strategic forces,” Stefanek said.
Changing the test schedule of America’s ICBM force can be controversial. US Senator Jim Inhofe, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, expressed disappointment in March over the delay in a test he said was important to ensure America’s nuclear deterrent remains effective.
Jeffrey Lewis, a missile researcher at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS), downplayed the impact of the cancellation.
“There’s a price to be tested, but I don’t think it’s really a big deal to miss a test in the grand scheme of things,” Lewis said, adding the Minuteman III was extremely reliable.
The nuclear-capable Minuteman III is an important part of the US military’s strategic arsenal and has a range of more than 6,000 miles (9,660-plus km) and can travel at speeds of about 15,000 mph (24,000 kph).
Missiles are dispersed in rigid underground silos operated by the launch crew.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in February that his country’s nuclear forces should be put on high alert, amid fears that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could lead to a nuclear war. But US officials have said they see no reason to change Washington’s nuclear alert levels so far.
Russia and the United States have the largest arsenals of nuclear weapons since the Cold War, which divided the world for much of the 20th century, pitting the West against the Soviet Union and its allies.
Russia announced earlier on Friday that it would militarily strengthen its western borders with Europe.