At 1:26 a.m. Pacific Time (08:26 UTC) this morning, the U.S. Air Force announced the test firing of a Minuteman III ICBM from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. “The purpose of the ICBM test launch program is to demonstrate the readiness of U.S. nuclear forces and provide confidence in the lethality and ineffectiveness of the nation’s nuclear deterrent,” Defense Department spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters at the Pentagon yesterday. “This test is routine, and was scheduled years in advance.”