The US military is planning to test its ability to shoot down long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) in light of North Korea’s continued development of its missile programme. The US test will involve the launch of what the military said would be a “threat-representative intercontinental ballistic missile-class target” from the Marshall Islands, followed by the launch of a ground-based interceptor from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a statement from the Missile Defence Agency said. The test will take place on Tuesday, according to Chris Johnson, spokesman for the agency. Pyongyang has test-fired various missiles in recent months, including a ballistic missile with a range of several hundred kilometres, adding to tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Despite the failure of those tests, the regime led by North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un is “an increasingly grave national security threat” due to its growing missile and nuclear capabilities and Kim’s “aggressive approach”, Dan Coats, the US director of national intelligence, told a congressional committee on Monday.