US Tests Minuteman III Missile Days After Trump’s Call to Resume Nuclear Testing, Stirring Tensions in Russia

In a move that has sharpened international focus on nuclear posturing, the United States Air Force’s Global Strike Command launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, just days after President Donald Trump publicly declared his administration’s intent to resume nuclear weapons testing.

US Tests Minuteman III Missile; Via: Nexta

The missile, which carried no warhead, was launched as part of what the Air Force has termed a “routine reliability test” and landed near the Marshall Islands in the Pacific. 

The launch was confirmed by Fox News correspondent Lucas Tomlinson via social media, though no formal statement had been issued at the time by Vandenberg Space Force Base or Global Strike Command, the U.S. military authority that oversees both strategic bombers and silo-based nuclear missiles.

‼️‼️🇺🇲🚀 BIG NEWS - The United States is preparing for a nuclear weapons test:

Washington plans to conduct a test launch of one of the most critical components of its nuclear triad — the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile, which is equipped with a nuclear warhead.… https://t.co/9bMFPLg6Js pic.twitter.com/nasiRLBNwX

— Visioner (@visionergeo) November 3, 2025

The test follows Trump’s October 29 announcement, in which he declared a reversal of the decades-old moratorium on nuclear testing. While the statement lacked details, including whether the testing would involve live nuclear detonations, the timing of the ICBM launch has added fuel to global anxieties surrounding a renewed arms race.

The Minuteman III missile, introduced in the 1970s, is a legacy component of the U.S. nuclear triad, alongside nuclear-capable bombers and submarine-launched ballistic missiles.

While the Pentagon has committed to replacing the aging missile with the next-generation Sentinel ICBM, set for deployment no earlier than 2031, many U.S. experts argue that a robust deterrence posture can be maintained without the land-based leg of the triad, given the survivability and reach of sea- and air-based platforms.

However, the latest test assumes geopolitical weight when viewed in tandem with recent remarks by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who, just days earlier, convened a high-stakes Security Council meeting in Moscow. 

There, top Russian defense and intelligence officials cited Trump’s nuclear remarks as grounds to consider restarting Russia’s own nuclear testing program, including preparations at Novaya Zemlya, the country’s remote Arctic test site.

Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, and intelligence chiefs warned that the U.S. is pursuing a comprehensive modernization of its strategic forces. Citing the Sentinel program, B-21 Raider bombers, and hypersonic weapons, they interpreted the U.S. trajectory as a deliberate escalation undermining global strategic stability.

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

In that context, the Minuteman III test is being seen as more than routine. Whether intended or not, it arrives as part of a chilling duet with Trump’s declaration, and as a subtle but unmistakable message to Moscow and Beijing. 

With both Russia and the U.S. circling the periphery of formal nuclear treaty structures, the prospect of live nuclear tests re-emerging in the 21st century is no longer hypothetical.

While Trump’s announcement remains ambiguous, particularly on the matter of explosive testing, analysts are increasingly concerned about the erosion of long-standing global norms. The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), though never ratified by Washington, has been observed in practice by all nuclear states for decades.

Should this veil be lifted, whether by the U.S., Russia, or any other nuclear-armed state, the consequences could cascade far beyond national defense postures. It would not only recalibrate strategic balances, but potentially inspire proliferation, harden diplomatic stances, and destabilize arms control regimes built painstakingly over half a century.

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