Vandenberg Space Force Base to test launch unarmed U.S. military nuclear missile

Vandenberg Space Force Base announced the U.S. military will be test-launching an unarmed nuclear missile from northern Santa Barbara County early Wednesday morning. Southern California residents awake between the scheduled launch hours of 12:01 a.m. and 5:01 a.m. on May 21 might be able to hear or catch a glimpse of the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Air Force Global Strike Command explained that the test launch of this rocket-propelled weapon is to “demonstrate the readiness of U.S. nuclear forces,” and to prove the “lethality and effectiveness of the nation’s nuclear deterrent.”