Unarmed U.S. missile test flight terminated due to anomaly
An unarmed U.S. Air Force Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missile was intentionally destroyed in flight when an anomaly occurred during a test launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
An Air Force Global Strike Command statement says the flight was safely terminated over the Pacific Ocean at 4:42 a.m., PDT, July 31.
The Minuteman system’s accuracy and reliability is routinely tested with launches from Vandenberg that send a missile’s re-entry vehicle on a 4,200-mile (6,759-kilometer) flight to a target in the Kwajalein Atoll of the Marshall Islands.
The Air Force says an anomaly is any unexpected event during a test and could arise from different factors.
A launch analysis group is being formed from various Air Force organizations. AP
USS North Dakota submarine certified for overseas deployment
The U.S. Navy’s USS North Dakota submarine has been certified for overseas deployment.
Gov. Doug Burgum says the Navy informed him the submarine left its homeport in Groton, Conn., on July 30. The vessel is scheduled to return in January.
The $2.6 billion, 377-foot-long submarine is able to launch cruise missiles, deliver special forces and carry out surveillance.
It is the first Navy vessel to carry the name North Dakota in a century. It was commissioned in 2014. AP
Top U.S. commander discusses Syria with Turkish officials
The U.S. military’s European commander and NATO’s top military officer has met with Turkey’s chief military and defense officials to discuss Syria and other regional issues.
Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti’s talks Aug. 1 come as tensions between NATO allies Turkey and the United States are running high over several issues, including the arrest of an American pastor in Turkey accused of terror-related charges and espionage. Washington has threatened Turkey with sanctions if the pastor is not freed.
Turkey’s military said Scaparrotti exchanged views on Syria, Iraq and NATO with Turkish Chief of Staff Gen. Yasar Guler. It did not elaborate on the talks.
Turkey and the U.S. have agreed on a “roadmap” for the strategic Syrian town of Manbij, which includes the withdrawal of Syrian Kurdish militia that Turkey considers to be terrorists. AP
Georgia, U.S. and 11 other nations begin military exercises
The Georgian military has begun two weeks of military exercises with the United States and 11 other countries.
The exercises, involving about 3,000 troops in all, are aimed at improving the former Soviet republic’s armed forces and raising cooperation with NATO and other allies. Called “Noble Partner 18,” they opened Aug. 1 at the Vaziani air base on the outskirts of the Georgian capital of Tbilisi.
Other countries participating in the exercises include NATO members the United Kingdom, Estonia, France, Germany, Lithuania, Norway, Poland and Turkey, along with Armenia, Azerbaijan and Ukraine. AP