U.S. tests Minuteman III ICBM in California

The United States on Thursday performed a test launch of one of its inter-continental ballistic missiles, a procedure the military said was a routine test and nothing more. 

Footage of the launch, which occurred from Vandenberg Space Force Base northwest of Los Angeles, circulated on social media on Thursday night into Friday. 

The Air Force Global Strike Command said in a press release that the launch was "part of routine and periodic activities intended to demonstrate that the United States’ nuclear deterrent is safe, secure, reliable and effective to deter twenty-first century threats and reassure our allies."

"Such tests have occurred over 300 times before, and this test is not the result of current world events," the command said.