In a rare announcement, the US military said a guided missile submarine had arrived in the Middle East, a deterrent message clearly aimed at regional rivals as the Biden administration tries to avoid a wider regional conflict amid the Israel-Hamas war.
US Central Command said on social media on Sunday that an Ohio-class submarine was entering its area of ​​responsibility. A photo released with the announcement appeared to show the submarine in the Suez Canal northeast of Cairo.
Why it matters: The military rarely publicizes the movements or operations of its fleet of ballistic and guided missile submarines. Instead, the nuclear ships operate in near-total secrecy as part of America’s nuclear triad, along with intercontinental ballistic missile silos and strategic bombers.
The announcement is a clear deterrence message directed at Iran and its proxies in the region. The submarine, which has not been named, joins a number of other US Navy forces already in the region, including two carrier strike groups and an amphibious ready group.
In October 2022, the US publicized a ballistic missile submarine in the Middle East when US Central Command commander General Michael “Eric” Kurila boarded the USS West Virginia. Kurila’s visit took place at an “unknown location at sea in international waters,” the Central Command said at the time.
Diplomatic push: The announcement of a guided missile in the region comes as US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken holds a series of meetings with US partners in the Middle East. In a whirlwind journey, Blinken has visited Turkey, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank, Jordan and Cyprus.
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