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US Navy Deploys Georgia Submarine Armed with Cruise Missiles, Not Nuclear Warheads, to Middle East, Heightening Tensions
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Base country: Japan
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The U.S. Department of Defense announced on August 11, 2024, that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had ordered the deployment of additional U.S. Navy vessels to the Middle East. The vessel ordered for deployment in this instance is the USS Georgia (SSGN-729), the fourth improved Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine.
The improved Ohio-class submarines, which began entering service in the early 1980s, 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 have been modified to carry up to 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles. These are the improved Ohio-class "cruise missile nuclear submarines".
The USS Georgia has the largest Tomahawk capacity among all U.S. Navy vessels, surpassing even the Ticonderoga-class cruisers (which can carry up to 122 missiles), the most heavily armed surface combatant vessels excluding aircraft carriers. Secretary Austin also stated that the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) and its escorting fleet, which have already been deployed, have been ordered to immediately move to the Middle East.
The U.S. Navy is bolstering its military presence in the Middle East by deploying state-of-the-art weapons in response to heightened tensions in the region. The USS Georgia, by removing its nuclear warheads and equipping it with cruise missiles, has gained strategic flexibility to counter potential threats. The deployment of the USS Georgia suggests the possibility of increased military tension in the Middle East, and the regional security situation must be closely monitored.
