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Highly Unusual Disclosure Of U.S. Ballistic Missile Submarines >> In Arabian Sea
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Highly Unusual Disclosure Of U.S. Ballistic Missile Submarine’s In Arabian Sea
US. Central Command has taken the extremely unusual step of disclosing the presence of a U.S. Navy Ohio class nuclear ballistic missile submarine in the Arabian Sea. The announcement was framed as a visit by the command's top officer, U.S. Army Gen. 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 being a message intended for potential adversaries, such as Iran or Russia, as well as American allies and partners.
U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Fifth Fleet and Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT), joined Gen. Kurilla and members of his staff on their visit to USS West Virginia at an undisclosed location in the Arabian Sea, according to a press release Central Command (CENTCOM) put out earlier today. The release did not say how Kurilla, Cooper, and the others had gotten to the submarine or when specifically the visit occurred.
The U.S. Navy currently has 14 Ohio class ballistic missile submarines, or SSBNs, in service. The Ohio SSBNs were originally designed to carry up to 24 Trident nuclear-armed submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM), but this maximum loadout has since been reduced to 20 as part of arms control agreements with Russia.
The current Trident D5 missile is a multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle, or MIRV, design and each one can be loaded with up to 14 nuclear warheads.
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