Photo: US NAVY / copyright
An unusual “visitor” has just emerged from the depths of the ocean in Guam, the US territory in the Pacific.
During the One of the most powerful US nuclear submarines was spotted on the island over the weekend, at a time of heightened tensions between China and Taiwan, and as North Korea conducts several missile tests.
This is the USS Nevada, an Ohio-class nuclear-powered submarine that carries 20 Trident ballistic missiles (equipped with multiple independently steerable re-entry vehicles) and dozens of nuclear warheads.
According to local media, it is the first time in more than six years since a US Navy nuclear-capable submarine is sighted off Guam and the second since the 1990s 1980.
In a statement, the US Navy assured that I saw her The site sought to “strengthen cooperation” with regional allies and show the country’s commitment to the security of the area.
“The visit to the port strengthens cooperation between the United States and its allies in the region, demonstrating the capacity, flexibility, willingness and continued commitment of the United States to the regional security and stability of the Indo-Pacific”, indicated the text published on the Facebook page of the military institution.
The fact that the Navy has made public the visit of a nuclear submarine is totally unusual, since the trips of these are usually secret operations and their locations are generally not known when they are sailing.
For the media and security experts in the country, this is a message that the Pentagon wants to send amid growing tensions in the South China Sea .
What is known about the USS Nevada
The USS Nevada is one of the weapon s most powerful in the US Navy and one of the submarines with nuclear weapons that it has.
In fact, on several occasions, it has received the battle efficiency award, which is given to the best submarine in its respective squadron for its performance in inspections for tactical dispositions and safety in the nuclear reactor.
It was built in the decade of 1980 by the company Electric Boat, a division of General Dynamics and its main ports are the Kitsap Naval Base, in Washington, in the Pacific, and Kings Bay, in Georgia, in the Atlantic.
With a capacity for more than 150 crew, is an Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine, an undetectable launch platform.
In the beginning, I had up to 24 ballistic missiles with multiple independently directed warheads, but after the accords to the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, four of its missile tubes were permanently disabled and it now carries a maximum of 20.
The submarine’s strategic weapon is the Trident II D5, an intercontinental ballistic missile with great range and precision.
The USS Nevada is more than 170 meters long, a width of nearly meters and can be submerged up to 094 masters. Being nuclear powered, it can stay submerged for weeks.
According to Navy data, Ohio-class submarines can stay up to 77 days in the depths of the sea.
When they come to the surface, they usually spend 35 days in repairs or resupply operations . However, their location is usually kept very well guarded when they are not in their home ports.
And it is that ballistic missile submarines are considered by experts in military issues as the most important section of the so-called “nuclear triad“, which also includes missiles silo-based ballistic missiles in the continental United States and others carried by strategic bombers.
Of all of them, submarines are the most difficult to locate.
The moment
The public appearance of the nuclear submarine in Guam comes after weeks in which North Korea has carried out several missile tests and after months of tensions between China and Taiwan.
The government of Joe Biden has assumed a position of defense of the Taiwanese island and several political forces in Washington have asked the president to send r a stronger message to Beijing to deter it from a potential attack.
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The nuclear power of US submarines is considered the largest in the world.
North Korea’s ballistic submarine program is still in stages very early and many experts doubt the country’s capacity for development.
According to estimates of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), China only has six ballistic missile submarines and, according to that organization, their level is well below the of Americans.
A study published by CSIS last year indicates that Type 2 ballistic missile submarines 094 from Beijing make double the noise than the US ones and have a lower missile and warhead capacity.
This makes them more easily detectable and reduces their ability to attack.
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