Both the U.S. and Russia deploy hundreds of nuclear-armed ICBMs that can be fired and reach targets within minutes.

The U.S. Air Force demonstrated the nation's nuclear readiness by launching an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California early Wednesday morning.

Californians were able to look to the sky to see an unarmed missile as the Air Force launched the Minuteman III from Vandenberg base.