Swordsmyth
03-26-2018, 07:27 PM
The Navy’s Director of Undersea Warfare told Congress that a new nuclear-armed submarine launched cruise missile would be fired from Virginia-class attack submarines, marking a shift for the historically conventionally-armed attack submarine into a nuclear deterrence role.
“While Virginia-class submarines can use conventional deterrence to keep adversaries in check, a sub-launched cruise missile with a nuclear warhead would be incorporated into Virginias and give national command authority additional escalation control,” Rear Adm. John Tammen, Director, Undersea Warfare Division, told lawmakers.
The emerging weapon, called for in the current administration’s recent Nuclear Posture Review, is intended to bring new elements to the Pentagon’s current nuclear weapons deterrence posture. With the current status quo, only larger ballistic missile submarines, such as the Ohio class and emerging Columbia-class, are equipped to fire nuclear weapons, such as the Trident II D5.
Virginia-class attack submarines are currently armed with Tomahawk missiles and torpedoes; adding a nuclear weapons capability would expand its mission set and give combatant commanders new options, Tammen added.
More at: https://www.themaven.net/warriormaven/sea/navy-virgina-attack-subs-will-fire-nuclear-warhead-expand-mission-2N36MXgvak-g40ZZ2OXdZw
“While Virginia-class submarines can use conventional deterrence to keep adversaries in check, a sub-launched cruise missile with a nuclear warhead would be incorporated into Virginias and give national command authority additional escalation control,” Rear Adm. John Tammen, Director, Undersea Warfare Division, told lawmakers.
The emerging weapon, called for in the current administration’s recent Nuclear Posture Review, is intended to bring new elements to the Pentagon’s current nuclear weapons deterrence posture. With the current status quo, only larger ballistic missile submarines, such as the Ohio class and emerging Columbia-class, are equipped to fire nuclear weapons, such as the Trident II D5.
Virginia-class attack submarines are currently armed with Tomahawk missiles and torpedoes; adding a nuclear weapons capability would expand its mission set and give combatant commanders new options, Tammen added.
More at: https://www.themaven.net/warriormaven/sea/navy-virgina-attack-subs-will-fire-nuclear-warhead-expand-mission-2N36MXgvak-g40ZZ2OXdZw