In this morning’s early hours, the U.S. Air Force launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., that blazed some 4,000 miles over the Pacific in the fourth successful test this year of its strategic deterrent missile systems.

As reported by Fox News, the U.S. Air Force said the unarmed Minuteman-III intercontinental ballistic missile test was “not a response to recent North Korean action.”  Nevertheless, the test did come in the wake of North Korea’s recent unprovoked and provocative attempts to gain the nuclear capability of necessary to attack the continental United States.

Leading up to the summer, some experts had believed North Korea was years away from gaining the technology needed to launch an ICBM capable of reaching the U.S. However, through the successful launch of two ICBM’s in recent months, North Korea has shown that they’re ominously close to having the capability to strike our shores.

Fortunately, the United States of America has a few potent arrows in its own quiver. The Minuteman III is the only land-based ICBM in service in the U.S. Boeing, with a large Alabama presence, has designed, built and integrated Minuteman systems since 1958. Working as a complement to the defensive Ground-Based Midcourse Defense System (GMD) system that Boeing largely developed in Alabama, the Minuteman III is a mostly an offensive system. These ICBM’s live in underground silos, ready to launch at a moment’s notice should President be forced to give the order to strike. A major deterrent, the tried and true Minuteman III is equipped with a guidance system that makes it deadly accurate. And to help ensure the effectiveness of the weapon, Boeing sustains and tests the guidance system that navigates each missile, while supporting the Air Force throughout every test flight.

While today’s Minuteman III test reaffirmed its capabilities, it also serves as a reminder to Kim Jong Un of our nuclear superiority. Should a nuclear tipped ballistic missile be fired from the Korean Peninsula, North Korea can have no doubt’s about the overwhelming response they will receive.

To learn more about Boeing based technology and the defense system developed in Alabama, check out the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense System.