A group from the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom AFB, Mont., managed the launch of an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., early Wednesday morning. The test launch was the second in a week because the April 26 test had been rescheduled due to brush fires on the range, according to an Air Force Global Strike Command spokesperson. The Air Force routinely selects a Minuteman III missile from its fleet and a crew from across AFGSC to conduct a test launch. “It’s efforts like these that make nuclear deterrence effective,” said Col. Craig Ramsey, 576th Flight Test Squadron commander, according to a press release.
Fresh off a meeting of the national armaments directors of NATO and the European Union, Pentagon acquisition and logistics chief William A. LaPlante said the allies and partners are moving toward not simply interoperable munitions, but “interchangeable” as well. The 45 directors met to discuss how they will provide military…