Missile test launch from Vandenberg postponed amid Ukrainian conflict
A missile test launch originally scheduled to take place from Vandenberg Space Force Base has been postponed following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The U.S. Department of Defense announced it was putting off a long-planned test launch of a Minuteman III rocket on Wednesday, saying it was “how a responsible nuclear nation should behave.”
“Now, in this time of heightened tensions, the United States and other members of the international community rightly saw (Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions) as dangerous and irresponsible and … an unnecessary step,” Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby said in a news conference, noting that Putin had directed a special alert of Russian nuclear forces.
“So, in an effort to demonstrate that we have no intention of engaging in any actions that can be misunderstood or misconstrued, the Secretary of Defense has directed that our Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile test launch scheduled for this week to be postponed,” Kirby said. “We did not take this decision lightly, but instead to demonstrate that we are a responsible nuclear power.”
The military base routinely conducts missile tests, but those are typically planned years in advance.
A new test date for the launch has not been set.
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