What message is being sent to Iran and/or Hezbollah? This I really don't get. They don't fear Biden one iota and they surely know we have subs nearby at almost all times. They also know there's no chance whatsoever of our using a nuke on anyone short of retaliation for someone else using one on us. So what is a surfaced sub going to do to change what's going on between Iran-Hamas-Hezbollah-Israel?

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Originally posted by smlsig:

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Originally posted by Sigmund:
This sounds like a Trident SSBN, not the SSGNs that carry lots of cruise missiles.

https://www.businessinsider.co...-israel-gaza-2023-11

If the administration expects this to frighten Iran, they will be disappointed.

I thought that at least one sub was assigned to each Carrier task group so news that one is in the Med with 2 Carriers there doesn’t seem like much news to me.

Carrier groups have attack subs assigned to them, to guard against opposing subs (among other tasks, probably). Boomers operate independently.

This is an example of strategic messaging. The announcement of the submarine's location was a deliberate act designed to ensure that everyone knows it is there. With the broad media coverage it is getting, the nations in the middle east will now have to include the submarine's presence in their decision making. Which, is exactly what the DOD wants.

We NEVER talk about our submarines!

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Originally posted by Patriot:


But go out and submerge…gone.

That's the tricky part. You don't want to leave port and allow the other side to pick up signatures by which they can track and identify you.

When a sub leaves the shipyard after overall, I recall there were at least a couple of tugs accompanying along the path to provide noise to whatever the submarine may be making.

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Originally posted by VMI 1991:
This is an example of strategic messaging. The announcement of the submarine's location was a deliberate act designed to ensure that everyone knows it is there. With the broad media coverage it is getting, the nations in the middle east will now have to include the submarine's presence in their decision making. Which, is exactly what the DOD wants.

USN/DoD have been the SSGN boats for such missions for about a decade now. Showing up in ME ports, South Korea, Japan, etc... sending presence messages to concerned bad guys.
Having a platform cruising around with 150+ cruise missiles will make anybody sit-up, unfortunately the Navy has dramatically shrunk its guided missile cruiser force, thereby their having to rely on these SSGN's for these 'presence-deterrence' missions, a mission that diminishes the inherent strengths of submarines.

FYI- The four converted SSBN boats will be decommissioned in 2028, all of them are either over 40-years old or, will be soon.

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Originally posted by Rick Lee:
What message is being sent to Iran and/or Hezbollah? This I really don't get. They don't fear Biden one iota and they surely know we have subs nearby at almost all times. They also know there's no chance whatsoever of our using a nuke on anyone short of retaliation for someone else using one on us. So what is a surfaced sub going to do to change what's going on between Iran-Hamas-Hezbollah-Israel?

Corsair corrected my post, these are the SSGNs with cruise missiles, I think conventional only.

But I totally agree with you, no country is afraid of Biden.

Iran and Hezbollah do not fear Biden but they respect the ability to turn them into a crater.

The sub sitting off shore is a warning.

Everyone on the planet in a position to make a stupid decision knows what a US sub can do.

It popped up on the surface Right after Iran told the world it would hit the US if the Gaza war continued.

Talk is cheap, so are missiles as a part of the US military budget.

Reminds of the anecdote, US fighter jets were over Syria or Iraq and told to leave or they would be attached by incoming fighters.

The answer was no problem, we will stay around and wait. The fighters changed course away from the US jets.

Iran has three questions to answer, If they launch against US positions will the US sub engage.

If they take on the US will anyone step in to actually help?

I think Russia is busy right now, but I could be wrong. China is not ready to go to war for Iran, Taiwan maybe but not Iran.

Israel just destroyed a ICBM launched from land and shot down in space before reentry.

Can any of their missiles now hit Israel, if not what can they do next?

Three Things to ponder before getting into this fight.