The U.S. Department of Defense announced on August 11, 2024, that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had ordered the deployment of an additional U.S. Navy vessel to the Middle East. The vessel ordered for deployment is the "Georgia," the fourth improved Ohio-class nuclear-powered submarine.

The improved Ohio-class submarines began entering service in the early 1980s. They were originally operated as "strategic nuclear submarines" carrying up to 24 submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) with nuclear warheads. However, due to changes in the security environment, the first four submarines were modified to carry up to 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles. This is the improved Ohio-class "cruise missile nuclear submarine."

The "Georgia" is capable of carrying the most Tomahawk missiles among all U.S. Navy vessels. It boasts overwhelming firepower, surpassing even the Ticonderoga-class cruisers (which can carry up to 122 missiles), which have the most missiles among surface warships excluding aircraft carriers. Secretary of Defense Austin also revealed that he had instructed the "Abraham Lincoln" nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and its escorting fleet, whose deployment has already been decided, to immediately move to the Middle East.

The U.S. Navy is strengthening its military presence by deploying state-of-the-art weapons in response to heightened tensions in the Middle East. The "Georgia," having removed nuclear warheads and equipped with cruise missiles, has gained strategic flexibility to respond to potential threats. The deployment of the "Georgia" suggests that military tensions in the Middle East may escalate, and the regional security situation should be monitored closely.