U.S. announces ICBM test launch in third week of April

The U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command, responsible for the country’s three intercontinental ballistic missile wings and its Air Force’s entire bomber force, will be testing the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Minuteman III in the…

Air Force Global Strike Command launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile with a test reentry vehicle from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California on Feb. 9. Photo provided by Airman 1st Class Landon Gunsauls. [U.S. AIR FORCE]

U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command, responsible for the country’s three intercontinental ballistic missile wings and the Air Force’s entire bomber force, announced Monday that it will test a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in the third week of April.

“This test launch will validate the ability of the Airborne Launch Control System [ALCS] to provide a secondary launch platform for our nation’s ICBM force,” said Lt. Col. Brian Lane, 625th Strategic Operations Squadron commander, in a statement.

“The ALCS is routinely used in test launches to validate the backup launch capability provided by the weapon system and guarantee that an adversary cannot carry out a paralyzing first strike on the United States.”

The ALCS is a control system for ICBMs and ballistic missiles operated from the air, in case nuclear contingencies prevent the military from conducting operations from the ground.

The test launch will take place around the time that North Korea celebrates several important national holidays, which are often accompanied by military actions often criticized by South Korea as provocative.

The birthday of North Korea's late founder Kim Il Sung falls on April 15 and the 91st anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Army falls on April 25.

The regime had already announced that it will complete its development of a spy satellite by April.

The Minuteman III is an ICBM with a range of 13,000 kilometers (8,078 miles).

It can hit Pyongyang within half an hour of its launch from the continental United States.

Test launches are held around four times a year and scheduled at least a year in advance, though U.S. forces usually issue a statement only a day before a launch or immediately afterwards.

Monday's extraordinary warning, coming weeks in advance, may be a strategic statement to not only Pyongyang, but also to Beijing.

One of the suspected Chinese spy balloons that entered American airspace earlier this year was spotted over Montana, home to Malmstrom Air Force Base, where the Minuteman III launch facility is located.

For its part, North Korea has engaged in a string of provocative actions since last year, firing over 90 missiles in 2022 alone, and passing a law last September announcing its readiness to launch pre-emptive nuclear strikes against any country that poses an imminent threat to North Korea and its leadership.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will meet U.S. President Joe Biden at the end of April, too.

Marking the first Korean presidential state visit to Washington in 12 years to mark the 70th anniversary of the two countries’ alliance, Yoon and Biden are expected to discuss extended U.S. deterrence and the U.S. nuclear umbrella.

North Korea's recent behavior has swayed public opinion in the South, with more South Koreans calling on their country to develop its own nuclear weapons.

BY BY LEE KEUN-PYUNG,ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]