A joint team of Air Force Global Strike Command airmen supported by Space Force guardians launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with one reentry vehicle on June 4, 2024, at about 12:56 a.m. Pacific Time from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif. (Olga Houtsma/U.S. Space Force)

WASHINGTON — The Air Force launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile overnight to test the safety and reliability of U.S. nuclear deterrent forces, the service’s Global Strike Command announced Tuesday.

The ICBM launched at about 12:56 a.m. Pacific Standard Time from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif. The Air Force said in a statement that tests have occurred more than 300 times, and the latest was not a result of current world events.

“Our ICBM force provides 24/7 strategic deterrence and stands ready to respond at a moment’s notice as the most responsive leg of the nuclear triad,” said Gen. Thomas Bussiere, who leads Air Force Global Strike Command. “Our test launches demonstrate and confirm our readiness to deliver a safe, secure, effective, and credible, global combat capability.”

The ICBM’s reentry vehicle traveled approximately 4,200 miles to the Army Space and Missile Defense Command’s Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site on the Army Garrison-Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Test site members collected radar, optical and telemetry data in the final phase of the flight to evaluate the system’s performance.

A second Minuteman III launch is scheduled for Thursday, according to KSBY News, a central California news outlet.

The LG-35A Sentinel will replace the Minuteman III by 2029, according to the Air Force statement.