U.S. Fires a Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Reaffirming its Nuclear Capabilities.

An unarmed Minuteman III lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in the early hours of November 5 as Glory Trip 254, with its reentry vehicle splashing down at the Reagan Test Site about 4,200 miles away. The launch was ordered through the Airborne Launch Control System aboard a U.S. Navy E-6B Mercury, a visible check on the survivable command path for the land-based leg of the U.S. nuclear triad.

The U.S. Air Force conducted a routine Minuteman III operational test from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Wednesday, confirming the missile’s accuracy and the health of its launch chain, according to the US Department of War on X. Space Launch Delta 30 identified the shot as Glory Trip 254, with the reentry vehicle impacting the U.S. Army’s Reagan Test Site at Kwajalein, roughly 4,200 miles downrange. The order flowed through the Airborne Launch Control System, executed by a 625th Strategic Operations Squadron team aboard a Navy E-6B Mercury, which validates the backup, airborne command and control route for U.S. ICBMs.
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An unarmed Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile launches during an operational test at 01:35 a.m Pacific Time Nov. 5, 2025, at Vandenberg Space Force Base. (Picture source: US DoD)

Conducted by Air Force Global Strike Command with the 576th Flight Test Squadron and a task force drawn from the three missile wings, GT-254 fits the established Vandenberg test cadence designed to stress the ICBM enterprise under near-operational conditions. The Western Range profile and telemetry package capture terminal-phase metrics needed to sustain an aging fleet at high standards. Officials emphasize this is scheduled work, repeated from one campaign to the next, to generate engineering data.

Technically, the Minuteman III is a three-stage, solid-propellant ICBM, about 18.3 meters long and 1.67 meters in diameter, with intercontinental range and a third-stage burnout speed approaching 24,000 km/h. The day’s configuration does not change the architecture; it checks motor consistency, inertial guidance behavior in boost and post-boost, and the expected dispersion within the Reagan Test Site sensor network.

The E-6B’s role stands out. As a survivable NC3 node, Mercury provides a remote launch path above a contested electromagnetic environment, the core of the ALCS verification. Crews train EMCON discipline, message authentication, timing, and interoperability between Air Force missileers and the Navy’s Strategic Communications Wing. In BITD logic the choreography is familiar; in today’s offset race, closing gaps between airborne C2 and silo teams weighs on the shared COP.

The missile used is a fleet article with no warhead, fitted with an Instrumented Joint Test Assembly in place of the payload to transmit telemetry. The Vandenberg-to-Kwajalein corridor remains the reference track for this kind of test, with the RTS instrumentation combining metric radars and optical sensors. The objective is clear: characterize actual performance and feed both maintenance feedback and guidance validation.

On capabilities and readiness, GT-254 reconfirms that an ALCS-initiated shot can be executed from an E-6B while meeting Western Range safety, targeting, and flight-termination constraints. The event also tests sustainment depth: maintainers from the 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren provide support, while the 377th Test and Evaluation Group consolidates and disseminates data within the RMP/COP so operators share the same tactical picture without lag. Not flashy, but essential.

At force-posture level in 2025, the U.S. nuclear enterprise is in an extended transition. The LGM-30G must remain credible as the LGM-35A Sentinel schedule slips, and, according to GAO, extending Minuteman operations into the 2050s is under review. The sea leg remains the anchor with Ohio-class SSBNs carrying Trident II D5LE while Columbia-class boats enter service. The air leg relies on B-52H and B-2 today, with B-21 and the LRSO to follow, and the E-6B retains part of the NC3 burden until replacement architectures arrive. Declaratory policy remains that of the 2022 Nuclear Posture Review: deter nuclear attack and consider employment only in extreme circumstances.

Politics intrude. The launch comes as President Donald Trump has raised the possibility of resuming nuclear explosive tests, a proposal contested by arms-control advocates. Moscow has “de-ratified” the CTBT and promotes new strategic systems while treating constraints as optional. Beijing continues a buildup described by the Pentagon, with a growing stockpile and several hundred silos under construction. North Korea iterates solid-fuel engines and extends ranges. None of these trajectories hinge on a single American shot from Vandenberg, but the image circulates.

In sum, this test does not change U.S. nuclear posture on its own. It confirms that the system works, that crews can launch through alternative command paths, and that the technical chain gathers the data needed during the Sentinel transition. With New START’s future unclear and verification routines eroding, such tests act as a signal of continuity domestically and consistency to partners. Competitors will call it routine while pursuing their own programs. Allies will read it into the U.S. offset calculus and the credibility of extended deterrence. Facing two nuclear peers and a disruptive actor, the United States has reasons to keep these Vandenberg shots regular, restrained, and tightly controlled, ensuring the console picture continues to match measurements over Kwajalein.

Written By Erwan Halna du Fretay - Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group

Erwan Halna du Fretay is a graduate of a Master’s degree in International Relations and has experience in the study of conflicts and global arms transfers. His research interests lie in security and strategic studies, particularly the dynamics of the defense industry, the evolution of military technologies, and the strategic transformation of armed forces.