5 years ago in the East China Sea, China was planning missile tests. Not only were these tests provocative but they were meant to send a signal to the west that China’s navy was claiming dominance over the region.
[revad1]
But that’s when China realized that the U.S. were still top dogs.
Following the tests, 3 U.S. Navy SSGNs (cruise missile subs) surfaced throughout the area, each carrying upwards of 462 missiles bringing the firepower of the U.S. Navy’s fleet in the region up 60%.
These invisible powerhouses surfacing off South Korea, the Philippines and the Indian Ocean sent a powerful message to China: Do NOT mess with the U.S. Navy!
Have you served on one of these types of subs? Sound off in the comments below!
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From The Week:
Nuclear powers rarely go to war with each other, but that doesn’t mean they don’t threaten to do so. Indeed, military posturing is an integral part of what Forrest Morgan, an analyst for the RAND Corporation, called “crisis stability.” In other words, “building and posturing forces in ways that allow a state, if confronted, to avoid war without backing down.”
Long-range heavy bombers are some of the best forces for crisis stability, Morgan wrote in a 2013 study for the U.S. Air Force. Bombers are powerful, mobile, and visible — perfect for signalling strength and intent.
On the other hand, the U.S. Navy’s submarine-launched cruise missiles are less effective — even counterproductive — for crisis stability … because they’re invisible most of the time. “SLCMs could contribute to the instability,” Morgan wrote. “[T]he opponent’s anxieties might be magnified by the ability of SSGNs [cruise missile subs] to posture in stealth nearby.”
