All is not well in and around the Arabian Sea. While Iran tried to steal U.S. unmanned surface vessels, tensions are also brewing between the U.S. and its seasoned ally Saudi Arabia. Against this backdrop, a U.S. nuclear submarine has made a rare and startling appearance in the region.
In a highly unusual move, the U.S. Central Command revealed that an Ohio-class nuclear submarine was sailing in the Arabian Sea. The announcement was made as the top U.S. military commander for the Middle East boarded the ballistic missile submarine to assess the Navy’s capability.
General Erik Kurilla went aboard the USS West Virginia submarine for about eight hours as the submarine rose to the surface and appeared at an unknown location in the Arabian Sea.
About 14 Ohio class ballistic missile submarines, also known as SSBNs, are currently active in the U.S. Navy. While the maximum load out for the Ohio SSBNs was 24 Trident nuclear-armed submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) earlier, it has been reduced to 20 due to arms control agreements with Russia.
General Kurilla said in a statement: “I was thoroughly impressed with the crew of the USS West Virginia; these sailors represent the highest level of professionalism, expertise, and discipline across the U.S. military.”
He added, “These submarines are the crown jewel of the nuclear triad, and West Virginia demonstrates the flexibility, survivability, readiness, and capability of USCENTCOM and USSTRATCOM [U.S. Strategic Command] forces at sea.”
It is pertinent to note that it is an extremely unlikely move on the part of the U.S. military to disclose the location of its nuclear submarines, so rare that it has only been done a few times in the past.
ThEagle News 