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The U.S. sure picked a weird time to schedule an unarmed hypersonic nuclear missile test—just hours after the polls close in one of the most significant elections in our history—but that’s what they reportedly plan to do:

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The US military is set to conduct a test launch of a hypersonic nuclear missile hours after polls close on Election Day.

An unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is scheduled to blast off between 11:01pm and 5:01am PT from California‘s Vandenberg Space Force Base.

Some Americans have expressed concerns about the nuclear weapon test on the same day as the country is casting their votes for the next president.

But military officials noted that the ‘test is routine and was scheduled years in advance.’

They said the purpose of the test was to show the ‘readiness of nuclear US forces’ and provide ‘confidence in the nation’s nuclear deterrence’ amid fears of the growing threat of the outbreak of World War III.

Tucker Carlson and Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) want to know why:

They characterized the move as really “bizarre”:

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TUCKER CARLSON: This is a Daily Mail piece. Just came out this afternoon: U.S. to test hypersonic nuclear missile tonight, just hours after election polls close amid growing World War III fears.

What the hell is that?!

SEN. MIKE LEE: I don’t know. That seems like a really odd choice. I don’t know why November 5th would have to be the day —

TUCKER CARLSON: It’s an intercontinental ballistic missile, The Minuteman II [sic], scheduled to blast off between 11:01 PM and 5:01 AM from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base. Why? Why would you have a nuclear missile test on the same day as a presidential election?

SEN. MIKE LEE: Let me put the most favorable spin on this that I possibly can. The most favorable spin I can put on that one is that some pinheads at the Pentagon are totally tone-deaf on political matters and didn’t have the election in mind when they did this.

If that’s the case, that’s really weird.

I don’t like this at all. I think there are 364 other days they could have chosen for this year. Why Election Day? Why?

TUCKER CARLSON: Well, I agree.

SEN. MIKE LEE: Why that night, after that, the entire country has just voted? I think that’s really bizarre.

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It does seem like an awfully strange choice and will scare the heck out of people, even if it is, as reported, unarmed. Military officials argued that the “test is routine and was scheduled years in advance.” Well, it wasn’t a great planning choice back then, and it isn’t any better now.

The details of this weapon are pretty darn terrifying:

They said the purpose of the test was to show the ‘readiness of nuclear US forces’ and provide ‘confidence in the nation’s nuclear deterrence’ amid fears of the growing threat of the outbreak of World War III.

The exercise will see the ICBM travel 4,200 miles from the base to Kwajalein Atoll, a small island in the North Pacific, which will take about 22 minutes.

The weapon can reach speeds over 15,000 miles per hour, allowing it to hit any target worldwide in just 30 minutes after launch.

“Bizarre” is right, Senator Lee.