Highly Unusual Disclosure Made Of U.S. Ballistic Missile Submarine’s Presence In Arabian Sea

Central Command has taken the highly unusual step of uncovering the presence of the US Navy's Ohio-class nuclear ballistic missile submarine in the Arabian Sea. The announcement was framed as a visit by the commander-in-chief, US Army General Michael Kurilla, to get a first-hand look at one of America's key capabilities operating in the region. However, it's hard not to see it as a message aimed at potential adversaries, such as Iran or Russia, as well as America's allies and partners.

US Navy Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Navy and Fifth Fleet Central Command (NAVCENT), joined General Kurilla and members of his staff on their visit to the USS West Virginia at an undisclosed location in the Arabian Sea, according to a Central Command press release (CENTCOM). ). ) was issued today. The release did not say how Kurilla, Cooper and the others got to the submarine or when exactly the visit took place.
“I was very impressed with the crew of the USS West Virginia; these sailors represent the highest level of professionalism, expertise and discipline in the entire US military," Kurilla said in a statement. "This submarine is the crown jewel of the nuclear triad. , and West Virginia demonstrated the flexibility, survivability, readiness, and capability of USCENTCOM and USSTRATCOM [US Strategic Command] forces at sea." The US Navy currently has 14 Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines, or SSBNs, originally designed to carry up to The Trident has 24 submarine ballistic missiles (SLBMs), but this maximum load has been reduced to 20 as part of an arms control agreement with Russia.The vehicles, or MIRVs, are designed and can carry up to 14 nuclear warheads each.

There are four more Ohio-class ships in Navy service that have been converted into guided-missile submarines, or SSGNs. While best known for its ability to carry a maximum load of 154 Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles, the SSGN Ohio is actually a multipurpose ship that can deploy a variety of unmanned systems, serve as an aircraft carrier for special operations forces, and act as an underwater intelligence fusion. command centers and posts, as you can read more about in the previous War Zone feature.

Source: https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/highly-unusual-disclosure-made-of-u-s-ballistic-missile-submarines-presence-in-arabian-sea

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