US Navy deploys guided missile nuclear submarine in Middle East amid increasing tensions

Middle East, News, US November 8, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

The United States Navy has dispatched its nuclear-powered guided missile Ohio-class submarine to the Middle East. The deployment comes at a time when the tensions in the region are high after the Israel-Palestine conflict.

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the deployment of the submarine through social media platforms. “On November 5, 2023, an Ohio-class submarine arrived in the US Central Command area of responsibility”, CENTCOM said in a rare announcement along with an image of the submarine moving through the Suez Canal.

The social media post did not specify which one of the four Ohio-class submarines has been deployed in the Middle East. The U.S. Navy has four Ohio-class guided missile submarines, or SSGNs, which are former ballistic missile subs converted to fire Tomahawk cruise missiles rather than nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles.

Each of the four submarines can carry 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles, 50% more than U.S. guided-missile destroyers and almost four times what the U.S. Navy’s newest attack subs are armed with. Each Tomahawk can carry up to a 1,000-pound high-explosive warhead.

On November 5, 2023, an Ohio-class submarine arrived in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. pic.twitter.com/iDgUFp4enp
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) November 5, 2023

Usually, the U.S. Navy’s nuclear-powered submarines operate in complete secrecy and the military or the Department of Defense rarely announces their movement. The current announcement of deployment is a clear message of deterrence directed at Iran and other regional stakeholders in the Middle East and to support Israel’s attack on Gaza.

Focus on the Middle East

The Biden administration is yet again focusing on the Middle Eastern region after the Israel-Hamas conflict. Since the war broke out on October 7, Washington has announced the deployment of around 1,000 American soldiers to the Middle East.

The U.S. military is providing crucial intelligence information to the Israeli forces and has dispatched a contingent of an unspecified number of special operations commandos, who are “advising” the Israeli military in their Gaza operations.

According to some reports, Washington has taken steps to beef up the defenses of its Gulf allies, with a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system destined for Saudi Arabia and Patriot surface-to-air missile systems to be sent to Kuwait, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

*^{The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) transits through the Suez Canal, on October 18, 2023. (Image Credit: Aaron Lau/U.S. Navy)}*

Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Pat Ryder said the build-up was aimed at deterring regional escalation and protecting the U.S. and its partners.

“Since that Hamas terrorist attack, we’ve also been crystal clear that we do not want to see the situation in Israel widen into a broader regional conflict,” said Ryder in a press briefing. “And as you’ve heard President Biden, Secretary Austin, and other senior US leaders say, our message to any country or group thinking about trying to take advantage of this situation to widen the conflict is don’t,” he added.