Stealthy Virginia-Class Attack Submarines Patrol Mediterranean in Position to Strike
Torpedo and Tomahawk armed Virginia-class attack submarines could track and destroy Houthi and Iranian vessels
KRIS OSBORN, WARRIOR MAVEN - CENTER FOR MILITARY MODERNIZATIONDEC 20, 2023
by Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization
The on-time-for-Christmas return of the USS Colorado Virginia-class attack submarine to Groton, Conn., from the Mediterranean raises interesting questions about the potential role of US Navy attack submarines related to current deterrence missions throughout the Middle East. The announcement of the return of the USS Colorado stationed in the Mediterranean, cited in a Navy essay, comes a few weeks after the US Navy published a photo of one of its attack submarines near the Suez canal in the Middle East.
It takes little imagination to recognize that torpedo and Tomahawk armed Virginia-class attack submarines could track and destroy Houthi and Iranian vessels and, if needed, destroy land targets with clandestine precision strikes. Operating in support of surface ships in the Eastern Mediterranean or Red Sea, attack submarines could likely approach high-risk, dangerous coastal areas inaccessible or too dangerous for large-draft surface ships.
The tactical and strategic foundation of such a mission is likely related to the Pentagon strong "deterrence" posture in the region, which has been to withhold large responsive attacks, yet ensure lethal forward presence to ensure adversaries are away of the US Navy's ability to respond with destructive force. The aim of such a focus, as described by the Pentagon, has been to prevent the current Hamas-Israeli conflict from spreading into a wider conflict throughout the region.
https://warriormaven.com/sea/stealthy-virginia-class-attack-submarines-patrol-mediterranean-in-position-to-strike
