US cancels ICBM test due to Russia nuclear tensions: Reuters
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The Pentagon first announced a postponement of the test on March 2 after Russia placed its nuclear forces on high alert.
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An unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launches during an operational test in 2017 (Reuters)
The United States military has canceled a test of its Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile that it had planned only to postpone in order to reduce nuclear tensions with Russia amid the Ukraine conflict, the Air Force said on Friday as quoted by Reuters.
Russia has constantly declared that it will only resort to nuclear weapons if the state is faced with an existential threat.
“We have a concept of domestic security and it’s public, you can read all the reasons for nuclear arms to be used. So if it is an existential threat for our country, then it (the nuclear arsenal) can be used in accordance with our concept,” Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said earlier.
The Pentagon first announced a postponement of the test on March 2 after Russia said it will place its nuclear forces on high alert. Washington stated at the time that it was critical for both the US and Russia to "bear in mind the risk of miscalculation and take steps to reduce those risks."
However, it had publicly stated that it only intended to postpone the test "a little bit," not cancel it.
According to Air Force spokesperson Ann Stefanek, the decision to cancel the LGM-30G Minuteman III missile test was made for the same reasons as when it was first postponed. The next Minuteman III test is planned for later this year.
"The Air Force is confident in the readiness of the strategic forces of the United States," Stefanek added.
Changing the testing schedule for America's ICBM force can be contentious. Senator Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, expressed disappointment in March over the postponement of a test he said was critical to ensuring America's nuclear deterrent remained effective.
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The nuclear-capable Minuteman III is considered an important part of the United States military's strategic arsenal, with a range of more than 6,000 miles (9,660 km) and a top speed of approximately 15,000 miles per hour (24,000 kph).
