North Korea confirms it launched a missile 0:49
Hong Kong (CNN)
One of the most powerful weapons in the US Navy's arsenal, the submarine USS Nevada, made a rare port call in Guam over the weekend, sending a message to allies and foes alike. amid rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific, analysts said.
ANALYSIS |
How did a $3 billion US Navy submarine hit an underwater mountain?
The USS Nevada, an Ohio-class nuclear-powered submarine carrying 20 Trident ballistic missiles and dozens of nuclear warheads, arrived at the Navy base in the US Pacific Islands territory on Saturday.
It is the first visit by a ballistic missile submarine, sometimes called a "boomer," to Guam since 2016 and only the second announced visit since the 1980s.
The US Navy ballistic missile submarine USS Nevada arrived at Naval Base Guam on Saturday.
"The port visit strengthens cooperation between the United States and its allies in the region, demonstrating the ability, flexibility, readiness and continued commitment of the United States to regional security and stability in the Indo-Pacific," said a Navy statement. U.S.
The movements of the 14 boomers in the US Navy fleet are often closely guarded secrets.
The use of nuclear power means the ships can operate submerged for months at a time, their endurance limited only by the supplies needed to support their crews of more than 150 sailors.
The Navy says Ohio-class submarines spend an average of 77 days at sea before spending about a month in port for maintenance and replenishment.
A well kept secret
It is rare for one to be photographed outside of their home ports of Bangor, Washington and Kings Bay, Georgia.
The secrecy surrounding ballistic missile submarines makes them the "most important surviving leg of the nuclear triad," which also includes silo-based ballistic missiles in the continental US and nuclear-capable bombers like the B-2. and the B-52.
advertising
But with tensions between the US and China over the status of the self-governing island of Taiwan, and as North Korea steps up its missile tests, Washington can make a statement with its ballistic missile submarines that neither Beijing nor Pyongyang can, according to analysts.
ANALYSIS |
The surprise appearance of a Chinese submarine in the Taiwan Strait highlights the risks of an unexpected incident
"It sends a message, intended or not: We can park over 100 nuclear warheads on your doorstep and you won't even know about it or be able to do much about it. And the opposite isn't real and won't be for a long time."
It's going to be for a while,” said Thomas Shugart, a former U.S. Navy submarine captain and now an analyst at the Center for a New American Security.
North Korea's ballistic submarine program is in its infancy, and China's estimated fleet of six ballistic missile submarines is dwarfed by that of the US Navy.
And China's ballistic missile submarines don't have the capabilities of American boomers, according to a 2021 analysis by experts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
A submarine, a signal
China's Type 094 ballistic missile submarines are twice as noisy as U.S. submarines and thus are more easily detected and carry fewer missiles and warheads, CSIS analysts wrote in August.
In addition to the political signal, the presence of the USS Nevada in the region presents another opportunity, said Alessio Patalano, professor of warfare and strategy at King's College London.
"The presence of this type of vessel, especially in training and exercises, adds an important opportunity to learn to hunt those of other actors in the region," said Patalano.
"The DPRK (North Korea) is looking to develop such a platform, and China already uses it. Honing the skills to track it is just as important as deploying it as a strategic deterrent," he said.
The last time a US Navy boomer visited Guam was in 2016, when the USS Pennsylvania stopped there.
Analysts said tensions in the Indo-Pacific have risen significantly since then, and more such military demonstrations are likely to be carried out by Washington in the current environment.
"This deployment reminds us that nuclear order at sea in the (Indo-Pacific) matters, and while it is often out of the broader public conversation, we are likely to see it more in the development of the regional strategic balance," he said. Patalano.
submarines
