The U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile early Tuesday morning to demonstrate the readiness of U.S. nuclear forces. The missile blasted off from coastal Vandenberg Space Force Base at 12:49 a.m., and its reentry vehicle traveled about 4,200 miles (6,759 kilometers) over the Pacific to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
