US conducts Minuteman III missile test following Trump’s directive VIDEO

The US military launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) across the Pacific Ocean, in what officials describe as a pre-planned and routine test.

The launch marks the Pentagon’s first weapons test since President Donald Trump publicly called for the “immediate” resumption of nuclear testing, Caliber.Az reports.

The U.S. Air Force’s Global Strike Command says it conducted another unarmed Minuteman III ICBM test launch from California as part of routine reliability checks. The missile landed near the Marshall Islands. (Video below from May test.)pic.twitter.com/ymmtp2xYXb

— Lucas Tomlinson (@LucasFoxNews) November 5, 2025

Fox News correspondent Lucas Y. Tomlinson reported on X that the US Air Force Global Strike Command had conducted another routine test of an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile from California as part of ongoing reliability assessments. The missile, he noted, impacted in the vicinity of the Marshall Islands.

As of yet, no official statements have been released on the websites of Vandenberg Space Force Base or Global Strike Command, the body responsible for overseeing two key components of the US nuclear triad — intercontinental ballistic missiles and strategic bombers.

A Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile was photographed earlier this year during a maintenance transfer near Sidney, Nebraska, on February 5, 2025.

Trump’s directive has sparked debate and uncertainty over its intent. While the president announced last week that he had ordered the Pentagon to “immediately” resume nuclear weapons testing, he has declined to clarify whether he was referring to full-scale nuclear detonations—traditionally overseen by the Department of Energy—or to non-explosive evaluations.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright stated that the new Trump-directed tests will be “noncritical,” meaning they will not involve an explosive nuclear chain reaction. However, such noncritical tests already occur on a regular basis.

The Pentagon also conducts routine flight tests of unarmed strategic missiles to verify the reliability and accuracy of its nuclear deterrent. The most recent Minuteman III test took place in May, while the US Navy conducted a Trident II submarine-launched ballistic missile test in September.

The United States currently maintains a deployed force of approximately 400 Minuteman III missiles housed in underground silos across Colorado, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Wyoming.

Although some Minuteman III warheads are capable of carrying multiple reentry vehicles—enabling each missile to strike up to three separate targets—those systems were modified to carry a single warhead under the terms of the 2014 New START Treaty, which limits the nuclear arsenals of the US and Russia. The treaty is set to expire in February 2026.

By Vafa Guliyeva