NORTHCOM: Russia Close to Persistent Nuclear Cruise Missile Attack Sub Presence off U.S. Coasts

The Yasen-M nuclear cruise missile submarine Krasnoyarsk in January. Tass Photo

Russia could have its most powerful and quiet nuclear attack submarines on persistent patrols off either U.S. Coast in the next two years, the head of U.S. Northern Command told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday.

In response to questions from Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) on the threat of Chinese and Russian cruise missile submarines operating close to the U.S., NORTHCOM commander Gen. Glen VanHerck said that...

https://news.usni.org/2023/03/23/northcom-russia-close-to-persistent-nuclear-cruise-missile-attack-sub-presence-off-u-s-coasts

Navy May Extend Life of Ohio SSBNs to Provide Cushion for Introduction of Columbia-class

Sailors from the blue crew of the Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine Henry M. Jackson (SSBN-730) wait pier side as the gold crew secures lines after completing the submarine’s 100th strategic deterrent patrol on Aug. 5, 2020. US NAvy Photo

He said the Navy formed a diesel generator working group a couple years ago, which has learned a lot about the Fairbanks Morse engines.

“We’ve learned a lot about how we should be operating them better, how we should maintain them better, how we can get...

https://news.usni.org/2020/11/16/navy-may-extend-life-of-ohio-ssbns-to-provide-cushion-for-introduction-of-columbia-class

U.K. Ballistic Missile Sub Crew Suffers COVID-19 Outbreak After Visit to U.S. Sub Base

HMS Vigilant (S30). Royal Navy Photo

More than 30 members of the crew of the U.K. Royal Navy ballistic-missile submarine HMS Vigilant (S30) have tested positive for COVID-19 following a port visit to the U.S. Navy’s East Coast SSBN hub, a U.S. official told USNI News.

The official confirmed reports in the British press that the crew of the submarine had violated isolation rules put in place to prevent outbreaks on the sensitive class of submarines. Those reports said sailors from the submarine...

https://news.usni.org/2020/10/14/u-k-ballistic-missile-sub-crew-suffers-covid-19-outbreak-after-visit-to-u-s-sub-base

Sub Base Kings Bay Keeping Current Ohio Subs Ready, Prepping for Incoming Columbia Class

The Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine USS Alaska (SSBN 732) blue crew returns to its homeport at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia, in November 2018, following a strategic deterrence patrol. The boat is one of five ballistic-missile submarines stationed at the base and is capable of carrying up to 20 submarine-launched ballistic missiles with multiple warheads.

ABOARD BALLISTIC MISSILE SUBMARINE USS ALASKA, AT NAVAL SUBMARINE BASE KINGS BAY, Ga. – The East Coast’s ballistic missile...

https://news.usni.org/2020/08/03/sub-base-kings-bay-keeping-current-ohio-subs-ready-prepping-for-incoming-columbia-class

NAVSEA Says Attack Sub Repairs Much Improved as USS Boise Enters Yard Following 4-Year Wait

The Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Boise (SSN 764) enters Souda Bay, Greece, during a scheduled port visit on Dec. 23, 2014. Boise conducted naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe during its last deployment that ended in January 2015 — and the submarine has been awaiting a maintenance availability ever since, due to limited capacity in public and private yards. US Navy photo.

After years of struggling to...

Modly: Parallel Fleet Studies Could Reshape Future of Aircraft Carriers

USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) transits the Pacific Ocean on Dec. 14, 2019. US Navy Photo

THE PENTAGON – The Navy has taken several cracks over the years at trying to define a new future aircraft carrier, one that might be less expensive or less vulnerable.

But each time, the Navy has moved forward with the nuclear-powered supercarrier concept, in part because it provides an unmatched sortie-generation capability, and in part, because it’s built by a workforce that would be tough or impossible...

https://news.usni.org/2020/03/12/modly-parallel-fleet-studies-could-reshape-future-of-aircraft-carriers

Thornberry Uneasy With Pentagon Shipbuilding Plan, Supports Fully Funding Nuclear Triad

Rep. Mac Thornberry (R=Texas), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC), center, speaks with Rear Adm. Michael E. Boyle, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Korea (CNFK) in 2018. US Navy Photo

The House Armed Services Committee’s top Republican has “heartburn” over the proposed shipbuilding budget for Fiscal Year 2021 but is also committed to fully funding the modernization of the nuclear triad and is acutely aware of a congressionally imposed topline for defense spending next year.

Rep....

https://news.usni.org/2020/02/12/thornberry-uneasy-with-pentagon-shipbuilding-plan-supports-fully-funding-nuclear-triad

Navy Beginning Tech Study to Extend Trident Nuclear Missile Into the 2080s

An unarmed Trident II D5 missile launches from the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Rhode Island (SSBN-740) off the coast of Cape Canaveral, Fla. on May 9, 2019. US Navy Photo

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Navy’s Strategic Systems Program this fiscal year will begin looking at what new technologies it will need to develop to sustain and modernize its nuclear weapons so they can operate on the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines through the 2080s.

After the Trident D5 missiles underwent...

https://news.usni.org/2019/11/14/navy-beginning-tech-study-to-extend-trident-nuclear-missile-into-the-2080s

Electric Boat Preparing for Columbia-Class, But Supply Base Remains a Challenge

Attack boat Vermont (SSN-792) float-off on March 29, 2019. General Dynamics Electric Boats Photo

GROTON, Conn. – General Dynamics Electric Boat broke ground on a Columbia-class submarine assembly facility at its Groton yard on Friday, kicking off one of the final facilities improvement projects the company needs ahead of a massive increase in submarine construction work in the coming decades.

Electric Boat and fellow shipbuilder Newport News Shipbuilding together will see a 250-percent increase...

https://news.usni.org/2019/09/17/electric-boat-preparing-for-columbia-class-but-supply-base-remains-a-challenge

Electric Boat Receives Half-Billion-Dollar Award To Help Submarine Suppliers Expand

Workers stand pose for a photo in the four-tube “quad-pack” built for the U.S. Ohio Replacement-class and U.K. Successor-class. General Dynamics Electric Boat Photo via US Navy

The Navy awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat nearly half a billion dollars to help shore up its submarine supplier base through equipment purchases and plant expansions.

The Department of Defense 2019 Appropriations Act included this money, aimed at addressing the health of the companies that supply Electric Boat with...

https://news.usni.org/2019/05/21/electric-boat-receives-half-billion-dollar-award-to-help-submarine-suppliers-expand