January 17, 2022

One of the US Navy's Most Powerful Weapons Makes a Rare Appearance in Guam

Source: CNN

One of the most powerful weapons in the US Navy's arsenal made a rare port call in Guam over the weekend, sending a message to allies and foes amid increasing tensions in the Indo-Pacific, analysts said.

The USS Nevada, an Ohio-class nuclear-powered submarine carrying 20 Trident ballistic missiles and dozens of nuclear warheads, pulled into the Navy base in the US Pacific Island territory on Saturday. It's the first visit of a ballistic missile submarine -- sometimes called a "boomer" -- to Guam since 2016 and only the second announced visit since the 1980s.

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"It sends a message -- intended or not: we can park 100-odd nuclear warheads on your doorstep and you won't even know it or be able to do much about it. And the reverse isn't true and won't be for a good while," said Thomas Shugart, a former US Navy submarine captain and now an analyst at the Center for a New American Security

Read the full story and more from CNN.

Author

  • CDR Thomas Shugart, USN