The Paper's reporter Xie Ruiqiang
"The most powerful weapon in the U.S. Navy's arsenal" made a rare appearance on Guam last weekend. Analysts believe that at a time of tension in the Indo-Pacific, the US move is intended to send a message to allies and adversaries.
CNN reported on January 17 that the USS Nevada strategic missile nuclear submarine, which can carry 24 Trident ballistic missiles and dozens of nuclear warheads, sailed into the US Naval base in Guam. This is the first time that a U.S. strategic missile submarine has docked on Guam since 2016, and the second time such a nuclear submarine has appeared there since 1980.
The USS Nevada strategic missile submarine docked on Guam.
The world's most powerful single weapon
"This port call strengthens cooperation between the United States and its allies in the region, demonstrating U.S. capabilities, flexibility, combat readiness, and an ongoing commitment to security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region," the U.S. Navy said in a statement. ”
"Ohio" class strategic nuclear submarine is currently the world's strongest single weapon, the submarine full load displacement of 18700 tons, can carry 24 "Trident" II D5 submarine-launched ballistic missiles, missiles can carry 6-14 nuclear warheads, missile range up to 12,000 kilometers, the total strike equivalent of more than 100 million tons, far more than the sum of the firepower released by the countries of World War II.
At present, the U.S. Navy has a total of 14 Ohio-class nuclear submarines, of which the Pacific Fleet has 8. By 2040, the United States will build 12 Columbia-class nuclear submarines to replace the gradually retired Ohio class and maintain the deterrent power of the U.S. Navy's sea-based nuclear forces.
CNN reported that in general, the whereabouts of the U.S. Navy's 14 Ohio-class nuclear submarines are usually highly classified information. Nuclear power means that these ships can continue to sail underwater for months, and their endurance is limited by the supply of supplies for more than 150 crews. U.S. Navy officials have said the Ohio-class submarines can be deployed at sea for an average of 77 days, followed by about a month of maintenance and replenishment in port.
The Ohio-class nuclear submarines rarely make an appearance outside their home ports in Bangor, Washington, and outside Kings Bay, Georgia. CNN said the various security measures of strategic missile submarines make them "the most viable part of the Trinity nuclear force." In addition, the U.S. nuclear forces also include the U.S. mainland "Minuteman"-3 land-based intercontinental missiles and strategic bombers, but the "Ohio" class nuclear submarines carry more than 1,100 nuclear warheads, more than the combined number of nuclear warheads by air-based nuclear forces and land-based nuclear forces, and its position is second to none in the "Trinity" strategic nuclear forces of the United States.
The U.S. Navy test-fired the Trident submarine-launched ballistic missile.
CNN reported that the CNN report quoted U.S. analysts as saying that the "Nevada" strategic nuclear submarine rarely docked on Guam, which is a message from the United States to its allies and adversaries amid rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific region. In the current environment, Washington is likely to make more such military displays.
"It sends a message — whether intentionally or unintentionally: The United States can put more than 100 nuclear warheads on your doorstep, and you don't even know they exist and can't fight back." The enemy does not have such an ability, and it is impossible to obtain such an ability for a long time. Thomas Schugart, a former U.S. submarine captain and now an analyst at the New American Security Center, said.
In an interview with the surging news (www.thepaper.cn), Wang Yunfei, a naval expert, said that the "Ohio" class belongs to the strategic nuclear submarine, and the United States believes that the nuclear opponent is more than 3,000 kilometers away from Guam, and the nuclear missile it carries has a range of more than 12,000 kilometers, and it can complete the nuclear strike mission without going to the vicinity of Guam, so the political purpose of appearing in Guam is higher than the military purpose.
"This practice of the United States is actually a kind of show-off of force, on the one hand, to show this nuclear strike platform to opponents and deter opponents; on the other hand, to send a signal to allies that the US nuclear umbrella is still valid." Wang Yunfei said.
The Biden administration is expected to conclude the nuclear posture review by early this year, with the focus on whether to include a "no first use" nuclear weapon or equivalent policy. Allies such as Japan and NATO have expressed concern about the policy, which leads to a decline in so-called deterrence against countries such as Russia.
The Obama administration's 2016 exploration of "no first use" of nuclear weapons, and then-Vice President Joe Biden was also considered a propulsionist, but gave up because of opposition from some allies, including Japan.
Alessio Patalano, a professor in the Department of War and Strategic Studies at King's College London, noted that in addition to political signals, the nevada's presence in the region provided an opportunity to learn about anti-submarines.
"The submarine's involvement in training and exercises provides a valuable opportunity to learn how to counter the same type of equipment from other countries in the region." "North Korea is developing similar weapons platforms, and China has deployed similar equipment, honing its ability to track nuclear submarines is just as important as deploying nuclear submarines as a strategic deterrent," Patalano said. ”
The last U.S. Navy ballistic missile submarine was in Guam in 2016, when the USS Pennsylvania docked at the Guam base. Analysts point out that tensions in the Indo-Pacific region have clearly increased since then.
It is worth mentioning that the US Navy has recently assembled a number of aircraft carriers in the Western Pacific region. The "Carl Vinson" aircraft carrier strike group, the "Essex" amphibious alert group and the 11th Marine Corps Expeditionary Force held joint exercises in the South China Sea on the 15th, while the "Lincoln" aircraft carrier and the "American" amphibious assault ship are currently operating in the Philippine Sea.
According to pictures released by the US Navy, the ships participating in the exercise included the aircraft carrier CARL Vinson, the amphibious assault ship Essex, the dock landing ship Pearl Harbor, and several escort ships.
The USS Lincoln aircraft carrier deployed by the U.S. Navy also carries F-35C stealth fighters.
Guam is increasingly fortified
Guam, the site of the "Nevada" strategic missile nuclear submarine, has also sparked discussions from the outside world.
With the continuous enhancement of the adversary's "anti-access/area denial" capabilities, Guam's strategic position and military role in the U.S. military have also been continuously enhanced.
"As the core of the 'second island chain', the Guam military base has always been an important strategic fulcrum of the US military's western Pacific combat system, and it is also the largest naval and air base of the US military in the western Pacific," Ling Yunzhi, a researcher at the Asia-Pacific Development Research Center of Nanjing University, told the surging news. ”
Last December, the U.S. Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act of 2022 (NDAA). Under the new budget framework, the Pacific Deterrence Initiative has a budget of $7.1 billion, or 8 percent of the total military budget, nearly $2.1 billion more than the Pentagon's previous $5.08 billion budget for the initiative.
The Pacific Deterrence Initiative (PDI) is a fund proposed by the U.S. Congress in 2020 specifically for the Indo-Pacific region to improve the sector's posture in the region, countering China through direct investment in Defense Department capabilities and strengthening partnerships, and hoping to follow the Model of the European Deterrence Initiative and focus on strengthening China's military containment.
With the support of the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, the US military will strengthen the construction of military bases on Guam, and enhancing Guam's anti-missile capabilities is the focus.
In 2021, the U.S. Army deployed and tested the Iron Dome system in Guam. The commander of the US military who participated in the test revealed that one of the purposes of the deployment was to study how to integrate the Iron Dome with the THAAD.
Guam has become the core of the U.S. military's second island chain.
"The US military currently deploys the 'THAAD' system in Guam, and may add the 'Patriot' missile system in the future, and the US military is also studying the deployment of a land-based 'Aegis' system or a retired 'Aegis' cruiser in Guam," military expert Han Dong pointed out. ”
In addition to strengthening Guam's anti-missile capabilities, Guam's military infrastructure construction will also be strengthened. In August last year, the U.S. Air Force's 26 most advanced stealth fighter F-22A traveled far into the ocean and appeared on Guam to verify the "agile combat deployment" mode of operation, and the US military aircraft were no longer deployed only at Anderson Air Force Base as before, but used the northwestern guam airport abandoned after World War II, as well as civilian Guam International Airport, Saipan International Airport, Andian International Airport, and Tianning Island International Airport.
Senior U.S. defense officials revealed to the outside world last November that the Pentagon would focus on strengthening bases in Guam and Australia to better prepare the U.S. military to confront China.
Mara Karin, who serves as deputy deputy to the deputy defense minister for policy affairs, said at the time that Biden recently approved the results of the Austin assessment and the recommendations from the Global Posture Review. "In Australia, you'll see new fighter and bomber rotations deployed, you'll see increased ground force training and logistical cooperation, and in the wider Indo-Pacific, you'll see a range of infrastructure improvements in Guam, the U.S. Commonwealth Northern Mariana Islands and Australia," Karin said at the briefing. ”
After Mara Karin's remarks appeared in the press, the Chinese Foreign Ministry responded that the relevant report of the US military fully exposed the true intention of the US side to militarize the Indo-Pacific and spare no effort to contain and contain China.
Responsible editor: Li Yiqing Photo editor: Le Yufeng
Proofreader: Liu Wei