Why the US sent nuclear submarines to the Middle East
(Baonghean.vn)- The US Navy announced that one of its nuclear-powered Ohio-class submarines has arrived in the Persian Gulf region, where the Central Command (CENTCOM) is in charge, including the Middle East.
According to Bloomberg, the ship in question is the USS Florida, which can carry up to 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles or up to 66 Navy SEALs for covert operations.
Four Ohio-class submarines have been converted to carry cruise missiles instead of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), with two on each coast of the United States. Bloomberg quoted unnamed US defense officials as saying the deployment was intended as a “show of force” against Iran. The CENCOM announcement included a photo of a submarine that appeared to be heading toward the Al Salam Bridge, which spans the Suez Canal. The Pentagon rarely reports on the deployment of nuclear submarines, except when they are making port visits.
The additional military assets arrived in the region as two U.S. aircraft carrier strike groups were on a mission in the eastern Mediterranean. The deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford and Dwight D. Eisenhower is seen by Washington as a deterrent amid Israel’s military operation in the Gaza Strip. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has surrounded the Palestinian enclave since a deadly Hamas offensive last month that left more than 1,000 people dead and hundreds more taken hostage. Israel has declared the elimination of the militant group a target of vital importance.
Critics say the response has been disproportionate, pointing to the high civilian death toll from IDF airstrikes. Gaza officials say the airstrikes have killed more than 10,000 people in Gaza. There are concerns that other regional actors, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia and Iran, could join the conflict on a larger scale. US leaders have pledged to stand by Israel, including providing more military aid to the Jewish state’s Gaza campaign. The USS Florida was first deployed to combat in 2011, bombing Libya as part of a NATO campaign to support rebels seeking to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi. The North African nation remains politically fractured and economically devastated more than a decade after the intervention.
