The United States secretly sent one of its most powerful ships to a base near China

The United States deployed a high-capacity nuclear submarine, the USS Nevada, in the western Pacific Ocean this weekend. An unannounced and unannounced action focused on the US presence in a region with high tensions with China.

The Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine serves as an undetectable launch pad for ballistic missiles, so It is one of the most important legs of its nuclear triad, along with strategic bombers, launchers, and silo-based missiles.

It was the visit of the USS Nevada to Naval Base Guam, an unincorporated US territory, according to photos released by the US Navy.

“The visit to the port of Guam enhances cooperation between the United States and its allies in the region, demonstrating the capacity, flexibility, and willingness of the United States, and its continued commitment to the security and stability of the Indo-Pacific region,” the official emphasized. statment.

USS Nevada, based at Naval Base Kitsap (Washington), but it can spend months underwater without revealing its location, under nuclear propulsion. In fact, The movements of the fourteen submarines of this type are usually kept secret and return regularly to collect supplies for their crews, Usually over 150 officers.

The Navy explained that the visit “complements the numerous exercises, operations, training, and military cooperation activities conducted by the strategic forces to ensure that they are available and ready to operate around the world at any time.”

This is the first time a submarine of this type has reached Guam since 2016, when the aircraft carrier USS Pennsylvania was grounded.

In the context of heightened geopolitical tensions with China and recent missile tests by North Korea, The unusual spread is a warning to regional competitors.

This sends a message, intended or not: We can park 100 nuclear warheads on your doorstep and you won’t know and you won’t be able to do much about it. Thomas Shugart, a former submarine captain in the US Navy who now works as an analyst at the Center for a New American Security, told CNN that the opposite is not true and will not last for long.

Read on: