US fires Minuteman III doomsday missile after Trump called for re-starting nuclear weapons tests

The US fired a Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) early Wednesday, after President Trump called for re-starting the nuclear weapons tests.

Air Force Global Strike Command launched the GT 254 nuclear-capable missile from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, with the test going off without a hitch.

The unarmed rocket landed near the Army’s Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site in the Marshall Islands.

The test, which was scheduled months ago, has garnered attention after Trump ordered the military last week to begin testing America’s nuclear weapons for the first time in more than three decades.

The Minuteman III missile arsenal is one leg of America’s doomsday nuclear deterrent — meant to be launched only in response to a nuclear attack by an enemy nation.

The US also maintains nuclear weapons that can be launched from submarines and from bombers.