US nuclear submarine deterrence against China

In response to Beijing's repeated missile tests in 2010, Washington sent three nuclear submarines to surface simultaneously in the waters around the country.

The submarine USS Ohio patrols the Pacific Ocean. Photo: Wikipedia.

To deter its opponents, the US often shows off its strength with strategic bombers. However, in 2010, the US made an unusual move by letting three nuclear submarines carrying cruise missiles surface at the same time in the waters around China to send a strong deterrent message to this country, according to War Is Boring.

Forrest Morgan, an analyst at the RAND Corporation, said that heavy bombers are one of the best weapons for "crisis stabilization." This is a powerful way to show off military power and send a message, allowing a country to avoid the risk of war without making concessions to an opponent.

Meanwhile, the US Navy's cruise missile submarines are ineffective tools in stabilizing crises, because they always hide in the sea, even counterproductive and contribute to further instability. However, the simultaneous emergence of many Ohio-class nuclear submarines of the US Navy around China has brought unexpected effectiveness, contributing to helping Washington resolve the crisis with Beijing.

In July 2010, after China conducted consecutive missile tests in the East China Sea, three Ohio-class submarines, including the USS Michigan in Pusan, South Korea, the USS Ohio in Subic Bay, Philippines, and the USS Florida off the strategic outpost of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, suddenly surfaced simultaneously.

The public appearance of these three strategic submarines not only represents an increase in US submarine activity in East Asia, but also carries a strong message of deterrence.

Three submarines surfaced together despite being thousands of kilometers apart. Photo: Wikipedia.

The three submarines carry a total of 462 Tomahawk cruise missiles with a maximum range of 2,500 km. They help increase the Tomahawk missile strike force of the entire Japan-based 7th Fleet, the core force for projecting US power in East Asia, by 60%.

A former US defense attaché, who has close ties to both countries’ leaders, said the 462 Tomahawk cruise missiles were a more powerful deterrent than any words. The simultaneous surfacing of the submarines showed that the US had the ability to simultaneously attack China from multiple directions without being detected.

"This underscores Washington's determination to maintain military dominance in Asia, which is also a message to all countries in the region, not just Beijing," the attaché said.

According to VNE