Summary and key points: The U.S. Navy’s deployment of an Ohio-class SSGN to the Middle East last year underscores the Pentagon’s strengthening of naval strike capabilities amid rising tensions following Hamas’s attack on Israel.
-The Ohio-class submarines, a key component of the American nuclear triad, are armed with Trident II D-5 missiles and can carry up to 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles. These versatile ships also support special operations forces, making them invaluable in high-stakes situations.
Most important point: With the aging Ohio-class submarines still playing a critical role, this deployment underscores their continued importance to the U.S. Navy’s strategic operations.
Deployment of Ohio-class SSGNs: A signal of US naval strength in the Middle East
America’s arsenal of nuclear-powered submarines made headlines last year when an Ohio-class SSGN arrived in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. The Navy rarely unstealths a submarine, let alone tells an enemy when a sub is coming. This was a dire warning.
In response to the October 7 Hamas massacre in Israel, the White House has deployed two aircraft carriers and numerous pieces of military equipment to support the Jewish state’s defense efforts against the terrorist group.
The arrival of this nuclear submarine is the latest sign that the Pentagon is strengthening its naval capabilities in the Middle East while deterring regional proxy groups from entering the war.
Although it is extremely rare for the United States to disclose the location of an Ohio-class ship, the U.S. military announced that it had deployed one of these submarines to the Middle East this spring to “help ensure maritime security and stability in the region” amid escalating tensions with Iran.
Ohio Class and America’s Nuclear Triad
Ohio-class submarines are part of the nuclear triad of American nuclear weapons.
This triad forms the backbone of U.S. national security and consists of land, sea, and air-based capabilities. According to this strategy, these assets provide round-the-clock deterrence to prevent catastrophic actions by adversaries around the world.
Essentially, the unknown location of US nuclear submarines ensures the mutual destruction of those who plan to use these world-destroying weapons.
During the Cold War, the Ohio-class submarine was built for nuclear war against the Soviet Union. At 560 feet long and with a submerged weight of nearly 19,000 tons, the Ohio-class ships became the largest American submarines ever built.
In fact, the Ohio was the largest submarine in the world until the USSR introduced the Typhoon class. When the first USS Ohio (SSBN-726) was commissioned in 1981, then-Vice President George HW Bush claimed that this new ship would create “a new dimension of our nation’s strategic deterrence.”
The Ohio-class submarines have it all
General Dynamics’ Connecticut-based Electric Boat Division built the Ohio class between 1981 and 1997. These vessels were designed to have a service life of at least 15 years. The first eight Ohio-class submarines were equipped with two dozen Trident I C4 SLBMS. Starting with the ninth Ohio-class ship, larger, three-stage Trident II missiles were fitted. The Trident C-4 was eventually replaced by the Trident II D-5, which can carry up to 12 Mk-4 reentry vehicles. According to the Navy, each D-5 has a range of 4,000 miles, although other industry experts estimate the range is actually much higher.
The Center for International and Strategic Studies estimates that the actual range of the D-5 missile is closer to 6,500 miles. These ships are powered by a single General Electric S8G nuclear reactor that delivers up to 60,000 horsepower and drives two steam turbines.
The Ohio-class ships are also equipped with 533 mm torpedo tubes. As Naval Technology details, the mk48 heavyweight torpedo has a 290 kg warhead. “The torpedo can be deployed with or without a wire guide and the system has active and/or passive acoustic homing. The range is up to 50 km at a speed of 40 km. After launch, the torpedo performs homing, target acquisition and attack procedures and delivers to a depth of 3,000 feet.”
What is the submarine’s current mission?
Following the 1994 Nuclear Posture Review, the United States was forced to convert four Ohio-class ships into conventional land attack and SOF platforms because it was determined that only 14 of its 18 SSBNs actually met the country’s strategic force needs.
In 2002, the USS Ohio began conversion and was re-commissioned several years later. The USS Michigan (SSGN-727), USS Florida (SSGN-728), and USS Georgia (SSGN-729) were also converted.
As Military.com details, the four SSGNs represent more than half of the submarine fleet’s vertical launch capacity today. Each SSGN can carry up to 154 Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles: “The missiles are loaded in seven-round MACs (Multiple-All-Up-Round Canisters) in up to 22 missile tubes. These missile tubes can also accommodate additional storage containers for SOF equipment, food, and other consumables to extend the submarines’ ability to remain forward-deployed in support of the combatant commander’s tasks. The missile tubes can also accommodate future payloads such as new missile types, unmanned aerial vehicles, and unmanned underwater vehicles.”
In addition to their impressive armament, Ohio-class submarines offer the Navy other capabilities. These SSGNS feature additional accommodations that allow them to transport special forces for extended periods of time, including Navy SEALs and Marine MARSOC teams.
Specifically, the two forward missile tubes of each SSGN were converted into containment chambers and equipped with communications and electronic support measures, multiple sonars and other improvements.
Although the planned lifespan of the SSBNs is 42 years, the Navy announced in 2020 that it was exploring extending the lifespan of the Ohio-class submarines.
The Pentagon’s decision to deploy one of these vessels in the Middle East amid rising tensions shows that this aging submarine continues to play a significant role in America’s sea-based arsenal.
About the author: Maya Carlin, defense expert
Maya Carlin is an analyst at the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has been featured in numerous publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin.
All images are Creative Commons.
