By Jim Morris, Vice President, Center for Military Modernization
It was a spectacular middle-of-the-night show, a demonstration of the US nuclear deterrent that the Pentagon said had nothing to do with current world events.
While indeed many of these tests are both regular and routine, it makes sense that the Pentagon might wish to send a clear, unmistakable deterrence message that, despite delays with the next-generation Sentinel, the US does operate a functional and capable ICBM. This is of particular strategic significance given the current threat environment, something which includes Russian nuclear threats as well as the possibility of hostile Iranian nuclear weapons intent.
The Air Force Global Strike Force Command (AFGSC), supported by Space Force Guardians, test-fired an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile early Tuesday from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California (Link to Space Force video: Minuteman III test launch showcases readiness of US nuclear force’s safe, effective deterrent > United States Space Force > Article Display).
Warrior Talks to Northrop & Air Force About Sentinel
The re-entry vehicle flew roughly 4,200 miles across the Pacific Ocean to Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. That’s where the US Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command has its Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Test Site.
“Our ICBM force provides 24/7 strategic deterrence and stand ready to respond at a moment’s notice as the most responsive leg of the nuclear triad,” said General Thomas Bussiere, (AFGSC commander). “Or test launches demonstrate and confirm our readiness to deliver s safe, secure, effective and credible global combat capability.”
The Air Force said there have been more than 300 similar tests.
There are roughly 400 Minuteman III ICBMs at missile fields in Wyoming, Montana and North Dakota, and they’ve been I service for more than a half century. Even an official Air Force fact sheet refers to the missile as “aging.”
The Minuteman will be replaced by the LGM-35A Sentinel ICBM. Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor for the Sentinel, while Aerojet Rocketdyne is building the solid rocket motor stage 3 and post-boost propulsion system.
The Sentinel was originally scheduled for initial operational capability in 2029. That’s now been pushed back by about two years.
It’s not just a new missile that’s being built. The $95 billion program includes an overhaul of the silos, control centers and underground living quarters for the missile crews.
And while Minuteman was an analog program whose design began in the 1950s, Sentinel is all digital – which brings paradigm-changing speed and networking advantages but also requires additional security and hardening.
Several years ago, Air Force Acquisition Executive Andrew Hunter was clear that there is not likely to be a missile gap, meaning the US will not lose ICBM functionality during a period in which the Minuteman III fully reaches obsolescence, and the Sentinel is operational. Some observers, critics and lawmakers have expressed concern that there may indeed be a dangerous missile gap developing, because the Sentinel has yet to arrive, and the Minuteman III is known to be operating years beyond its expected service life. The 1960s-era Minuteman III has been extensively upgraded over the course of decades, yet many Pentagon leaders maintain it is insufficient to address the current threat environment and already obsolete. Given these circumstances, the Pentagon’s ability to test fire a functional ICBM is extremely significant for the US and its current deterrence posture. Certainly, the US Air Force, Pentagon, members of Congress and Northrop Grumman are intensely focused on resolving any potential Sentinel delays.
