The US military conducted a test Wednesday (Aug 2) of an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), officials said, just days after North Korea conducted its own ICBM launch. 


Tests at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California are typically scheduled weeks or even months in advance, but this one came at a time of soaring tensions with North Korea over its trial of an ICBM last week. 


"While not a response to recent North Korean actions, the test demonstrates that the United States' nuclear enterprise is safe, secure, effective and ready to be able to deter, detect and defend against attacks on the United States and its allies," the Air Force Global Strike Command said. 


The Minuteman III missile went up at 2:01 am local California time Wednesday (5.02pm Singapore), the Air Force Global Strike Command said. 


The ICBM arced into the night sky from Vandenberg Air Force Base in southern California and travelled approximately 4,200 miles to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands

Source: NNA