The US military revealed Sunday that an Ohio-class submarine has deployed to U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility, which includes the Middle East.
It’s rare for the Defense Department to publicize its submarines’ movements. The short announcement, made via X, formerly known as Twitter, provided few details, including the name of the vessel and whether it is carrying cruise missiles or nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles.
The notice comes two days after the Navy announced that two carrier strike groups — the Gerald R. Ford and Dwight D. Eisenhower — launched aircraft and practiced missile defense during a three-day exercise in the Mediterranean Sea.
The show of strength coincides with high-level diplomacy aimed at preventing a wider war in the Middle East.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to the Middle East on Sunday for diplomatic talks with regional leaders, including Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in Baghdad.
Blinken stressed the United States “supports Israel’s right to defense against Hamas” but noted that how it accomplishes that goal “matters.” The US military
“Israel must take every possible measure to prevent civilian casualties,” Blinken said during a joint press conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi at Amman on Saturday.
Arms Control Association director Daryl Kimball said Central Command’s short announcement about the submarine was not entirely clear.
“At a time of significant tension in the region, vague announcements of nuclear-force movements are not necessarily helpful and could be misconstrued by adversaries,” he said in an email to Stars and Stripes on Monday.