Posted on Nov 7, 2023
What Minuteman missile launch failure means for US nuclear deterrence
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Russian commentators crowed at the termination of an LGM-30G Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) over the Pacific Ocean, but the failure isn't an indictment of U.S. nuclear weapons capabilities, one expert told Newsweek.
An escalation in nuclear rhetoric from Moscow since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine may explain the mockery from Russian media following the announcement by the U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) that an "anomaly" had forced the unarmed ICBM to be "safely terminated" off the coast of California after its launch from the Vandenberg Space Force Base on November 2.
An escalation in nuclear rhetoric from Moscow since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine may explain the mockery from Russian media following the announcement by the U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) that an "anomaly" had forced the unarmed ICBM to be "safely terminated" off the coast of California after its launch from the Vandenberg Space Force Base on November 2.
What Minuteman missile launch failure means for US nuclear deterrence
Posted from newsweek.com
Nuclear
Weapons
Russia
Vandenberg AFB
Posted 6 mo ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."But Matt Korda, a senior research fellow from the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), said test launches of Russian missiles, such as the Sarmat, "fail more frequently" than in the United States.
First deployed in 1970, the Minuteman has a range of over 6,000 miles and can travel at a speed of about 15,000 miles per hour. There are about four tests a year of the nuclear-capable Minuteman ICBM, of which there are 400 located at U.S. Air Force bases in Wyoming, Montana and North Dakota, forming a key part of the U.S. military's arsenal, and making up one leg of the U.S. nuclear deterrent triad.
Military expert Alexei Leonkov told Russian news agency RIA Novosti that the launch showed the U.S. was relying on "old missiles that have already exceeded their planned service life," while the Telegram channel Russian Engineer said another failure "could call into question" the missile's capability."...
..."But Matt Korda, a senior research fellow from the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), said test launches of Russian missiles, such as the Sarmat, "fail more frequently" than in the United States.
First deployed in 1970, the Minuteman has a range of over 6,000 miles and can travel at a speed of about 15,000 miles per hour. There are about four tests a year of the nuclear-capable Minuteman ICBM, of which there are 400 located at U.S. Air Force bases in Wyoming, Montana and North Dakota, forming a key part of the U.S. military's arsenal, and making up one leg of the U.S. nuclear deterrent triad.
Military expert Alexei Leonkov told Russian news agency RIA Novosti that the launch showed the U.S. was relying on "old missiles that have already exceeded their planned service life," while the Telegram channel Russian Engineer said another failure "could call into question" the missile's capability."...
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