US tests unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile

[chahlley]

(Americas Today Friday 4 August 2017)

US tests unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile

Ms Susan Thornton, the acting US Assistant Secretary of State. Photo: US Department of State

Published: 4:00 AM, August 4, 2017

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has conducted a test of an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile, a move expected to be of note in both North Korea, which recently tested its missile arsenal, and in China, which has been urged by Washington to pressure Pyongyang on its nuclear programme.

The unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, according to an official statement from the Air Force Global Strike Command released early on Wednesday after the test was completed. It is the fourth such test this year.

“While not a response to recent North Korean actions, the test demonstrates that the United States’ nuclear enterprise is safe, secure, effective and ready to be able to deter, detect and defend against attacks on the United States and its allies,” said the statement.

It added that the missile’s re-entry vehicle travelled about 6,759km over the Pacific Ocean to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. The test was described as a way to “verify the accuracy and reliability of the ICBM weapon system, providing valuable data to ensure a continued safe, secure and effective nuclear deterrent”.

The move came as Washington prepared to build diplomatic pressure on the North at a security forum in Manila starting this weekend, with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson pushing for another round of tough United Nations sanctions on Pyongyang, according to one of his top aides.

“What we would expect to see this year at the meeting would be a general chorus of condemnation of North Korea’s provocative behaviour,” Ms Susan Thornton, the acting US Assistant Secretary of State, told reporters in Washington. Mr Tillerson will not hold direct talks with his North Korean counterpart Ri Yong-ho in Manila, according to Ms Thornton.

But Mr Tillerson is expected to meet with the top envoys from the other nations in stalled “six-party” negotiations aimed at reining in Pyongyang’s nuclear programme: China, Russia, Japan and South Korea.

The US and China have been wrestling with how best to respond to North Korea’s second intercontinental ballistic missile test last week, which deepened global fears over Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons strike capabilities.

The US test came a day after Mr Tillerson said that the US was not seeking a regime change in North Korea and would be willing to talk to Pyongyang. In response, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing attached importance to Mr Tillerson’s remarks about the Korean peninsula and hoped the US could implement them successfully.

“Regarding North Korea’s recent missile launch, once again in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, China has already clearly expressed our opposition,” Mr Wang told a news conference in Beijing yesterday. “At the same time, we also call on all parties not to take any actions that will lead to an escalation in tensions.”

Mr Wang said he hoped all sides could move forward together through dialogue to find a solution quickly that addresses each other’s concerns. AGENCIES