U.S. Delays Missile Test To Placate North Koreans

US Seeks To Ease Tensions With North Korea By Postponing Missile Test -- The Guardian

Test launch of a Minuteman 3 intercontinental missile next week delayed until next month to avoid exacerbating crisis.

The US has attempted to ease rising tensions with North Korea by postponing a missile test scheduled to take place in California next week, lest this be interpreted by Pyongyang as deliberately provocative.

The US defence secretary, Chuck Hagel, decided to delay the long-planned test launch of a Minuteman 3 intercontinental missile from an airbase until next month over concerns it could exacerbate the crisis, officials briefed reporters anonymously. "This is the logical, prudent and responsible course of action to take," a senior defence official was quoted as saying by Reuters.

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More News On The U.S. Delaying Next Week's Missile Test To Placate The North Koreans

U.S. delays missile test to avoid stoking North Korea tensions -- Reuters
U.S. Delays Missile Test Over Tension With North Korea -- USA Today/AP
US delays missile test to cool N. Korea tensions -- Global Post/AFP
Official: U.S. delays missile test to avoid 'misperceptions' by North Korea -- CNN
U.S. delaying missile test as Korea tensions rise -- Washington Post
US Delays Missile Test During Korean Tensions -- Voice of America
Minuteman 3 Test Delayed to Avoid North Korean ‘Manipulation’ -- ABC News
US postpones missile test to avoid 'misperception' -- Deutsche Welle
US delays missile test amid tensions with North Korea -- NBC

My Comment: The North Koreans do not care if the U.S. delays their missile test. If anything .... this will only be more proof to them that the U.S. is weak.

Update: This is not surprising .... North Korea Propaganda Victory After US Cancels ICBM Test Over Increasing Tensions (Huffington Post).

U.S. Air Force Wants Options On Where Will They Base Their Future ICBMs

“Son of MX” Basing Schemes On List Of Future Air Force ICBM Options -- Mark Thompson, Battleland/Time

The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center is seeking industry guidance on replacing the nation’s current fleet of 450 Minuteman III land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles sprinkled across Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming with…a new fleet of intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The center’s recent ruminations about the best way to base the new ICBM fleet bring back the glorious MX missile debates of the 1980s:

– Should we put our new ICBM fleet on trucks known as transporter erector launchers (TELs)? “The TEL must have the capability to leave government land to increase survivability, if required,” the Air Force says. “Survivability is a function of system hardness and mobility; therefore, a key feature will be the speed at which the TEL can depart the operating base when required.”

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My Comment: Lay all the options that they want .... but I suspect that with defense budget cutbacks in the forecast .... future basing schemes will be based more on what can we afford over what do we want.

Is It Because Of Political Interference That America's Next ICBM Test Has Been Delayed?

Political Delay For ICBM Test? -- Inside The Ring/Washington Times

Defense officials say unusual delays in conducting an Air Force intercontinental ballistic missile test may have more to do with politics than technical problems.

The Air Force Global Strike Command, based at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., planned to conduct a Minuteman III flight test earlier this year but has scrapped the launch three times.

One missile was fired in April, but a second test is now delayeduntil after the presidential election.

Defense officials disputed the official explanation for the delays: that components used in the missile’s self-destruct mechanism malfunctioned and needed to be replaced.

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My Comment: Everyone is focused on the impact that sequestration will have on future defense budgets .... and the role that politics is playing behind it. But .... there are other program that can be influenced in the same way .... and missile tests is definitely one of them.

U.S. Navy Leads The Way for Missile Development

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has launched the development of next generation Aegis missiles, to enhance sea and land-based missile defense systems toward the next decade. Photo" MDA

New Missiles To Extend Offensive, Defensive Capabilities Of The U.S. Navy -- Defense Update

The U.S. military is embarking on several new missile development programs promising to change the rules of air- and naval warfare as it is fought today. Many of the new programs are tailored for forward deployment with the naval surface fleet, with the majority of new missiles to be deployed in and fired from Vertical Launch Systems used on U.S. Navy surface ships, introducing new capabilities and extended reach for surface combatants. With these innovations the VLS is proving once again the success of the modular design approach pursued by the Navy, enabling the service to extend the life of its combatants without major changes to the hardware and with minimal down time for the vessels.

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My Comment: Most of the time I cover what other countries are doing in missile development .... here is a little summary on what the U.S. is doing.