Amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, the US Navy announced the deployment of a guided missile submarine to the Middle East, an unusual step aimed at regional foes, particularly those backed by Iran. The submarines can be outfitted with sophisticated ballistic missile or Tomahawk cruise missiles.
Even as Secretary of State Antony Blinken explores the region, the US Central Command announced via social media on Sunday (Nov 5) that an Ohio-class submarine has entered its area of responsibility. In his second journey to the region since the commencement of the Israel-Hamas war, Blinken has visited Israel, the West Bank, Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, and Cyprus.
The Ohio class is a family of nuclear-powered submarines capable of carrying up to 24 Trident II D5 nuclear missile. These submarines are noted for their stealth and ability to operate silently beneath the ocean’s surface, making them undetected to enemies.
Unusual announcement
It is unusual for the United States to announce the movement of strategic assets such as submarines in the area. Indeed, American nuclear submarines operate in almost total secrecy.
The US may be attempting to send a strong message to Iranian proxies in the region, who have recently threatened a bigger confrontation in the region if Israel does not halt its current assault on Gaza.
Low-level strikes on US assets have already occurred in Iraq and Syria. Washington, DC does not appear to be willing to let Iranian proxies have their way in the battle.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had previously stated that his country would beef up its security forces in the Middle East and also in Israel.
Austin stated on Sunday that the United States was dedicated to discouraging “any state or non-state actor seeking to escalate this conflict,” a clear reference to Iran and the Iran-backed military force Hezbollah.
Additional US assets in the region
Other US Navy assets in the vicinity include two carrier strike groups—the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group and the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group—as well as an amphibious readiness group.
The new submarine, which arrived in the region on Sunday but has yet to be named, will strengthen the United States’ defensive umbrella.
When the chief of US Central Command, Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, boarded the USS West Virginia in October 2022, the US made public a ballistic missile submarine in the Middle East. Kurilla’s visit took place at an “undisclosed location at sea in international waters,” according to Central Command at the time.
