 Air Force Global Strike Command Airmen conducted an operational test launch of an unarmed Minuteman-3 ballistic missile on August 11 to demonstrate the readiness of the U.S. nuclear forces and provide confidence in the lethality and effectiveness of the nation's nuclear deterrent. Today's test launch is a randomly selected intercontinental ballistic missile pulled from F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Miami. The missile was transported within 1,300 miles and reassembled at Vanderbilt Space Force Base, California. The ICBM was equipped with a test reentry vehicle and traveled approximately 4,200 miles at a speed of more than 15,000 miles per hour to a test range near the Quadralina Tull and the Marshall Islands. The ICBM test and evaluation program helps validate the reliability of the nuclear umbrella our allies and partners rely on, eliminating the need to obtain their own nuclear weapons to counter potential adversaries. The 50-year-old Minuteman-3 is based in Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Miami and will be replaced by the ground-based strategic deterrent program of record. Reporting from Vanderbilt Space Force Base, I'm Michael Stonesiper.