US deploys guided missile submarine in Mediterranean sea

A submarine of the Ohio class, which is capable of carrying Tomahawk or sophisticated ballistic cruise missiles, has made landfall in the Mediterranean as the United States maintains its defensive stance in the midst of the conflict between Israel and Hamas. The submarine’s arrival in the region was confirmed on Sunday when CENTCOM, the Department of Defense combatant command with responsibility over US forces in the West Asia and West and Central Asia, uploaded a picture of it on X, the former Twitter platform. The submarine’s location was made public, which is noteworthy because security zones usually keep the locations of the vessels a secret. The ship looks to be navigating the Suez Canal in the CENTCOM photo. Egypt, which borders Israel, is the route taken by the Suez Canal, which links the Mediterranean and Red Seas. According to the Israeli news agency Ynet, the US Navy’s newest submarine stationed in the area is the largest of its 14 ballistic submarines and is outfitted with ballistic weapons. The twenty-two nuclear-powered and highly capable submarines in the fleet collectively carry about half of all US strategic thermonuclear weapons. It is still unknown if the submarine’s deployment to the West Asia was prearranged as part of the US’s present defensive military posture there or if it was a reaction to fresh intelligence that suggested its use could be required. The sub’s deployment followed Anthony Blinken’s high-level diplomatic visits to the region, during which the US Secretary of State held meetings with Mahmoud Abbas, the president of Palestine, senior Israeli officials, and representatives from Jordan, Cyprus, Lebanon, and Qatar. The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group and the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group were sent by the Pentagon to the eastern Mediterranean last month. It is still unknown if the submarine’s deployment to the West Asia was prearranged as part of the US’s present defensive military posture there or if it was a reaction to fresh intelligence that suggested its use could be required. The sub’s deployment followed Anthony Blinken’s high-level diplomatic visits to the region, during which the US Secretary of State held meetings with Mahmoud Abbas, the president of Palestine, senior Israeli officials, and representatives from Jordan, Cyprus, Lebanon, and Qatar. (with inputs from agencies)