All about the US Navy nuclear ballistic missile submarine that surfaced off Norway

A nuclear ballistic submarine of the US Navy along with a guided missile cruiser and two naval aircraft were spotted in the Norwegian Sea this week. This development comes immediately after a Russian nuclear submarine and three others ships were spotted off the coast of Florida, on their way to Cuba. While no immediate reason has been attributed by the US Navy, this is believed to be a show of strength and a message to Russia. The announcement of these ships was made by the US Navy’s 6th Fleet/US Naval Forces Europe-Africa.

US Naval ships in the Norwegian Sea:

The details of these ships were revealed by the US Navy’s 6th Fleet on X (formerly Twitter). The USS Tennessee (SSBN 734) is the nuclear-powered ballistic submarine. The submarine has been joined by USS Normandy (CG 60) which is a guided missile cruiser. There are two aircraft which have been deployed in the Norwegian Sea along with these two ships. There is the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft and an E-6B Mercury strategic communications aircraft.

Multi-Domain Readiness in action 🚁🌊🔱 @USNavy 🇺🇸 guided-missile cruiser #USSNormandy (CG 60) and ballistic missile submarine #USSTennessee (SSBN 734) steam alongside in the #NorwegianSea while a P-8A Poseidon and E-6B Mercury fly overhead, June 23, 2024. pic.twitter.com/8Uttvmkny9

— U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet (@USNavyEurope) June 25, 2024

The USS Tennessee is capable of carrying 20 Trident nuclear missiles. The E-6B Mercury strategic communications aircraft is capable of providing nuclear command, control and communications to the US President, Secretary of Defense and the US Strategic Command. It has been termed the ‘doomsday plane’ as it can convey the messages from the National Command Authority to the ships around it to fulfill tasks and execute missions. It has been tracked flying over the Norwegian sea on Sunday.

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Message to Russia?

Generally, the movement of these ships are not revealed. This deliberate revelation is a message to neighboring Russia that the ships are on standby. In recent times, the two navies have been spotted within each other’s area of strategic influence. The Russian Navy had conducted joint naval exercises with the Cubans and this was close to the Florida coast. Since 2020, the US Navy has been operating in Europe, close to Russia along with the NATO forces and other friendly navies.

FAQs:

Will Russia be threatened by this US Naval deployment?
There has been no response by the government. However, it is unlikely to feel threatened. It will monitor these developments closely.

Is there a possibility of a Russian nuclear attacks?
President Putin has threatened a nuclear attack and has said that Russia will not hesitate in using its nuclear arsenal. However, it is unlikely. The MAD (mutually assured destruction) doctrine will play a major role.