Latest news with #OhioClass
Nikkei Asia
2 days ago
- Politics
- Nikkei Asia
Trump orders nuclear subs moved after Russia's 'provocative statements'
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in "the appropriate regions" in response to remarks from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev about the risk of war between the nuclear-armed adversaries. Security analysts called Trump's move a rhetorical escalation with Moscow, but not necessarily a military one, given that the United States already has nuclear-powered submarines that are deployed and capable of striking Russia. Medvedev on Thursday said Trump should remember that Moscow possessed Soviet-era nuclear strike capabilities of last resort, after Trump had told Medvedev to "watch his words." "Based on the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev ... I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that," Trump said in Friday's social media post. He added, "Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances." Asked later by reporters why he ordered the submarine movement, Trump said, "A threat was made by a former president of Russia, and we're going to protect our people." The U.S. Navy and the Pentagon declined to comment about Trump's remarks or on whether submarines had been moved. It is extremely rare for the U.S. military to discuss the deployment and location of U.S. submarines given their sensitive mission in nuclear deterrence. Trump's comments came at a time of mounting tension between Washington and Moscow as Trump grows frustrated with what he sees as President Vladimir Putin's failure to negotiate an end to his more than three-year-old invasion of Ukraine. He did not specify what he meant by "nuclear submarines." U.S. military submarines are nuclear-powered and can be armed with nuclear-tipped missiles, although not all are. But any talk by a U.S. president about potential nuclear military capabilities raises concerns, the security experts said, noting that the United States has historically refrained from matching Russia's nuclear-saber rattling given the risks surrounding the world's most devastating weaponry. "This is irresponsible and inadvisable," said Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association advocacy group. "No leader or deputy leader should be threatening nuclear war, let alone in a juvenile manner on social media." Hans Kristensen of the Federation of American Scientists noted that U.S. nuclear submarines -- part of the so-called nuclear triad with bombers and land-based missiles -- were always positioned to launch nuclear-armed missiles at targets in Russia. "The subs are always there all the time and don't need to be moved into position," he said. "He grants Medvedev a response to these crazy statements." The United States has a total of 14 Ohio Class nuclear-powered submarines, each capable of carrying up to 24 Trident II D5 ballistic missiles that can deliver multiple thermonuclear warheads up to 7,400 kilometers. Between eight and 10 Ohio Class submarines are deployed at any one time, according to the Nuclear Threat Initiative arms control group. Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, has emerged as one of the Kremlin's most outspoken anti-Western hawks since Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in 2022. Kremlin critics deride him as an irresponsible loose cannon, though some Western diplomats say his statements illustrate the thinking in senior Kremlin policymaking circles. U.S. officials had told Reuters prior to Trump's latest remarks that Medvedev's comments were not being taken as a serious threat, and it is unclear what drove Trump's latest announcement beyond the public clash between the two on social media. Trump and Medvedev have traded taunts in recent days after Trump on Tuesday said Russia had "10 days from today" to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine or be hit with tariffs. Kristensen said that Trump was creating a "commitment trap" by fueling expectations that he could resort to nuclear weapons if tensions escalated further with Russia. Still, Evelyn Farkas, executive director of the McCain Institute and a former senior Pentagon official, played down the idea that this could lead to nuclear conflict. "It's really signaling. It's not the beginning of some nuclear confrontation and nobody reads it as such. And I would imagine the Russians don't either," she said. She added that Trump's actions, however, were unlikely to get Russia to change course in Ukraine. Moscow, which has set out its own terms for peace in Ukraine, has given no indication that it will comply with Trump's 10-day deadline of Aug. 8. Putin said on Friday that Moscow hoped for more peace talks but that the momentum of the war was in its favor. He made no reference to the deadline. Trump, who in the past touted good relations with Putin, has expressed mounting frustration with the Russian leader, accusing him of "bullshit" and describing Russia's latest attacks on Ukraine as disgusting.
News18
6 days ago
- Politics
- News18
‘They Are Where They Have to Be': Trump On US Nuclear Submarines' Position Amid Russia Tensions
Last Updated: Donald Trump had earlier ordered the US submarines to be moved in "appropriate regions" after Dmitry Medvedev reminded him of Russia's Soviet-era nuclear strike capabilities. US President Donald Trump on Sunday (local time) reiterated his order to move two nuclear submarines to the 'appropriate regions" in response to former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's remarks, and said that they are 'where they have to be". 'They are in the region, yeah — where they have to be," Trump said, in response to a query by a reporter if the nuclear submarines have been deployed to face Russia. On Friday, responding to Medvedev's remarks about the risk of war between the two nuclear-armed adversaries, Trump ordered two US Navy nuclear submarines to be positioned in 'appropriate regions", considering that the 'inflammatory statements are more than just that". A day prior to that, Medvedev said that Trump should remember that Moscow possessed Soviet-era nuclear strike capabilities of last resort. 'Based on the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev … I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that," Trump said on Truth Social last Friday. Reuters reported earlier. It is very rare for the US military to give details about the deployment of its submarines due to their sensitive mission in nuclear deterrence. Trump has not specified what he meant by 'nuclear submarines." US military submarines are nuclear-powered and can be armed with nuclear-tipped missiles, although not all are, Reuters reported. The US has 14 Ohio Class nuclear submarines. Each one can carry up to 24 Trident II D5 missiles, which can travel up to 4,600 miles and deliver multiple nuclear warheads. Usually, between 8 and 10 of these submarines are active and deployed at any given time, according to a nuclear weapons watchdog group. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
AsiaOne
03-08-2025
- Politics
- AsiaOne
Trump orders nuclear submarines moved after Russian 'provocative statements', World News
WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump on Friday (Aug 1) said he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in "the appropriate regions" in response to remarks from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev about the risk of war between the nuclear-armed adversaries. Security analysts called Trump's move a rhetorical escalation with Moscow, but not necessarily a military one, given that the United States already has nuclear-powered submarines that are deployed and capable of striking Russia. Medvedev on Thursday said Trump should remember that Moscow possessed Soviet-era nuclear strike capabilities of last resort, after Trump had told Medvedev to "watch his words". "Based on the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev ... I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that," Trump said in Friday's social media post. He added: "Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances." Asked later by reporters why he ordered the submarine movement, Trump said: "A threat was made by a former president of Russia, and we're going to protect our people." The US Navy and the Pentagon declined to comment about Trump's remarks or on whether submarines had been moved. It is extremely rare for the US military to discuss the deployment and location of US submarines given their sensitive mission in nuclear deterrence. Trump's comments came at a time of mounting tension between Washington and Moscow as Trump grows frustrated with what he sees as President Vladimir Putin's failure to negotiate an end to his more than three-year-old invasion of Ukraine. He did not specify what he meant by "nuclear submarines". US military submarines are nuclear-powered and can be armed with nuclear-tipped missiles, although not all are. But any talk by a US president about potential nuclear military capabilities raises concerns, the security experts said, noting that the United States has historically refrained from matching Russia's nuclear-saber rattling given the risks surrounding the world's most devastating weaponry. "This is irresponsible and inadvisable," said Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association advocacy group. "No leader or deputy leader should be threatening nuclear war, let alone in a juvenile manner on social media." Hans Kristensen of the Federation of American Scientists noted that US nuclear submarines — part of the so-called nuclear triad with bombers and land-based missiles — were always positioned to launch nuclear-armed missiles at targets in Russia. "The subs are always there all the time and don't need to be moved into position," he said. "He grants Medvedev a response to these crazy statements." The United States has a total of 14 Ohio Class nuclear-powered submarines, each capable of carrying up to 24 Trident II D5 ballistic missiles that can deliver multiple thermonuclear warheads up to 4,600 miles. Between eight and 10 Ohio Class submarines are deployed at any one time, according to the Nuclear Threat Initiative arms control group. [[nid:720369]] 'Commitment trap' Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, has emerged as one of the Kremlin's most outspoken anti-Western hawks since Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in 2022. Kremlin critics deride him as an irresponsible loose cannon, though some Western diplomats say his statements illustrate the thinking in senior Kremlin policy-making circles. US officials had told Reuters prior to Trump's latest remarks that Medvedev's comments were not being taken as a serious threat, and it is unclear what drove Trump's latest announcement beyond the public clash between the two on social media. Trump and Medvedev have traded taunts in recent days after Trump on Tuesday said Russia had "10 days from today" to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine or be hit with tariffs. Kristensen said that Trump was creating a "commitment trap" by fuelling expectations that he could resort to nuclear weapons if tensions escalated further with Russia. Still, Evelyn Farkas, executive director of the McCain Institute and a former senior Pentagon official, played down the idea that this could lead to nuclear conflict. "It's really signalling. It's not the beginning of some nuclear confrontation and nobody reads it as such. And I would imagine the Russians don't either," she said. She added that Trump's actions, however, were unlikely to get Russia to change course in Ukraine. Moscow, which has set out its own terms for peace in Ukraine, has given no indication that it will comply with Trump's 10-day deadline of Aug 8. Putin said on Friday that Moscow hoped for more peace talks but that the momentum of the war was in its favour. He made no reference to the deadline. Trump, who in the past touted good relations with Putin, has expressed mounting frustration with the Russian leader, accusing him of "bullshit" and describing Russia's latest attacks on Ukraine as disgusting. ALSO READ: Putin, facing Trump deadline, signals no change in Russia's stance on Ukraine
Times
02-08-2025
- Politics
- Times
Why did Trump move his nuclear deterrent? Not for strategic gain
President Trump announced on Friday that he had sent two nuclear submarines 'closer to Russia' in response to threatening rhetoric from the country's former president, Dmitry Medvedev. Whatever Trump's reason for the sabre-rattling deployment, strategic advantage is not one of them. Moving a pair of Ohio-class submarines equipped with nuclear missiles — 'boomers' in US military parlance, or 'bombers' in the UK — nearer to Russia would put them in shallower waters, making them easier to detect. And moving them anywhere quickly, which means making noise and disturbance in the water, would also increase their vulnerability. However, if Trump is referring to nuclear-powered attack submarines, rather than boomers, he can move them wherever he wants; it makes no difference to the nuclear relationship with Russia. America's boomers are far better off staying where they are, deep in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. They move very slowly and very quietly, staying underwater for 70 days or more without surfacing — a deadly game of silent deterrence they have played with Moscow for the past 60 years. They do not need to go any nearer to Russia to maintain that threat. Each Ohio boat carries missiles with a range of more than 7,000 miles, so they could reach Moscow, or anywhere else in Russia, from underneath either of the oceans they patrol. Indeed, they could sit in their Pacific base at Kitsap-Bangor in Washington State, or at King's Bay Georgia on the Atlantic coast, and still launch against any target within Russia. The real deterrent threat of the boomers is not what they can do — that dreadful destructive power has been well understood for many years — but their ability to remain elusive and undetectable while they do it. On any given day, the US would aim to have perhaps four or five of its 12 operational boomers on patrol across the Atlantic and Pacific. Each submarine carries up to 20 Trident II D5 ballistic missiles, and each missile can carry up to 12 independently targeted warheads, although some of these would undoubtedly be decoys. Every Ohio boat could deliver to any part of the northern hemisphere a mixture of 240 nuclear warheads and decoys against a range of targets. Every US president knows they have the power on any day to unleash about 1,000 nuclear warheads from just this one component of the total nuclear force. Rushing extra boomers out to sea as a political signal would be hugely disruptive to the careful preparation and maintenance schedules for rotating boats and crews that 'continuous at-sea deterrence' requires. It would be contemplated only in the most dire circumstances and would simply add more overkill to America's already huge capabilities. Russia is outmatched by the destructive power of America's boomers, but nonetheless maintains a more than adequate deterrent in the form of its own nuclear submarine force. Moscow has been phasing out its Soviet-era Delta design in favour of newer Borei-class boomers. At present Russia is thought to keep maybe three of its older Delta boats and seven of its eight Borei submarines available for launching nuclear missiles. Each Borei-class boat can launch 16 Bulava missiles, with up to six independent warheads apiece, each of which has a 6,000-mile range. Unlike the extravagant American undersea presence across two oceans, Russia is believed to keep only one or two bombers on 'continuous at-sea deterrence' duties and relies instead on the ability to put other boats to sea rapidly in a time of crisis, offering a pretty loud signal to western intelligence agencies if they ever did it. Nevertheless, both the US and Russia have more than enough nuclear power prowling slowly through the deepest oceans to threaten each other with ultimate destruction. It's the most stable part of the strategic nuclear balance, part of the 'triad' of nuclear deterrence: heavy missiles launched from silos deep underground; air-launched glide bombs and missiles loaded with nuclear warheads; and submarine-launched ballistic missiles systems like Trident and Bulava. The sites of the underground silos are all known and might feasibly be hit before launching their missiles in a 'bolt from the blue' attack. Aircraft, too, can be detected and attacked before they release their armaments, or even while still on the ground. But the submarine out at sea can remain undetected, providing a guaranteed retaliatory weapon for both sides. Even in a massive, all-out first strike on the homeland, the boomers would still be intact — as would their threat of second-strike nuclear retaliation. The only hope for an aggressor would be simultaneously to cut into the firing chain that authorised a boomer to launch — a huge gamble for any attacker to take. This continuous, silent, shadow war has provided ample material for novelists and analysts alike. Tom Clancy was an obsessive amateur and in 1984 produced his debut novel, The Hunt for Red October, which contained astonishingly accurate technical information about the whole business. The Pentagon was alarmed at his independent powers of deduction. The secretary of the navy wanted to know 'who the hell cleared it?' When the nuclear missiles carried on Russian submarines only had a range of 1,500 miles, there were regular stories of Soviet boomers cruising around Bermuda, about 600 miles from the east coast of the US. That was true enough. But Nato's supreme commander (Atlantic) once remarked that he wished Russia would put more of its boomers so close: 'In the first hour of hostilities, we take them out,' he said. Operating near the enemy coast is always dangerous. In 1986 K-219, a Yankee-class Russian boomer, suffered an onboard explosion northeast of Bermuda. The Russians could not recover it. The CIA also secretly had a go. But the submarine was lost, taking all its nuclear weapons to the bottom with it. That catastrophe was turned into a realistic novel as well. In the world of submarines, the boomers are behemoths. The Ohio class weighs almost 19,000 tons, the Borei 24,000, and its Soviet-era predecessors were even bigger. The simple fact remains that these vessels can only perform their deterrent role properly by keeping very quiet, a long way out to sea and deep beneath it. Michael Clarke is visiting professor in defence studies at King's College London and a former director of the Royal United Services Institute
Yomiuri Shimbun
02-08-2025
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Trump Orders Nuclear Submarines Moved after Russian ‘Provocative Statements'
WASHINGTON, Aug 1 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in 'the appropriate regions' in response to remarks from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev about the risk of war between the nuclear-armed adversaries. Security analysts called Trump's move a rhetorical escalation with Moscow, but not necessarily a military one, given that the United States already has nuclear-powered submarines that are deployed and capable of striking Russia. Medvedev on Thursday said Trump should remember that Moscow possessed Soviet-era nuclear strike capabilities of last resort, after Trump had told Medvedev to 'watch his words.' 'Based on the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev … I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that,' Trump said in Friday's social media post. He added: 'Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances.' Asked later by reporters why he ordered the submarine movement, Trump said: 'A threat was made by a former president of Russia, and we're going to protect our people.' The U.S. Navy and the Pentagon declined to comment about Trump's remarks or on whether submarines had been moved. It is extremely rare for the U.S. military to discuss the deployment and location of U.S. submarines given their sensitive mission in nuclear deterrence. Trump's comments came at a time of mounting tension between Washington and Moscow as Trump grows frustrated with what he sees as President Vladimir Putin's failure to negotiate an end to his more than three-year-old invasion of Ukraine. He did not specify what he meant by 'nuclear submarines.' U.S. military submarines are nuclear-powered and can be armed with nuclear-tipped missiles, although not all are. But any talk by a U.S. president about potential nuclear military capabilities raises concerns, the security experts said, noting that the United States has historically refrained from matching Russia's nuclear-saber rattling given the risks surrounding the world's most devastating weaponry. 'This is irresponsible and inadvisable,' said Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association advocacy group. 'No leader or deputy leader should be threatening nuclear war, let alone in a juvenile manner on social media.' Hans Kristensen of the Federation of American Scientists noted that U.S. nuclear submarines – part of the so-called nuclear triad with bombers and land-based missiles – were always positioned to launch nuclear-armed missiles at targets in Russia. 'The subs are always there all the time and don't need to be moved into position,' he said. 'He grants Medvedev a response to these crazy statements.' The United States has a total of 14 Ohio Class nuclear-powered submarines, each capable of carrying up to 24 Trident II D5 ballistic missiles that can deliver multiple thermonuclear warheads up to 4,600 miles. Between 8 and 10 Ohio Class submarines are deployed at any one time, according to the Nuclear Threat Initiative arms control group. 'COMMITMENT TRAP' Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, has emerged as one of the Kremlin's most outspoken anti-Western hawks since Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in 2022. Kremlin critics deride him as an irresponsible loose cannon, though some Western diplomats say his statements illustrate the thinking in senior Kremlin policy-making circles. U.S. officials had told Reuters prior to Trump's latest remarks that Medvedev's comments were not being taken as a serious threat, and it is unclear what drove Trump's latest announcement beyond the public clash between the two on social media. Trump and Medvedev have traded taunts in recent days after Trump on Tuesday said Russia had '10 days from today' to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine or be hit with tariffs. Kristensen said that Trump was creating a 'commitment trap' by fueling expectations that he could resort to nuclear weapons if tensions escalated further with Russia. Still, Evelyn Farkas, executive director of the McCain Institute and a former senior Pentagon official, played down the idea that this could lead to nuclear conflict. 'It's really signaling. It's not the beginning of some nuclear confrontation and nobody reads it as such. And I would imagine the Russians don't either,' she said. She added that Trump's actions, however, were unlikely to get Russia to change course in Ukraine. Moscow, which has set out its own terms for peace in Ukraine, has given no indication that it will comply with Trump's 10-day deadline of August 8. Putin said on Friday that Moscow hoped for more peace talks but that the momentum of the war was in its favor. He made no reference to the deadline. Trump, who in the past touted good relations with Putin, has expressed mounting frustration with the Russian leader, accusing him of 'bullshit' and describing Russia's latest attacks on Ukraine as disgusting.
