[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] US-ROK-Japan Commanders Boarded Strategic Nuclear Submarine Together

Our Commander's First Victory... Analysis of the Warning Message to the North

Submarine commanders from South Korea, the United States, and Japan boarded a U.S. strategic nuclear submarine (SSBN) together. It is the first time that a South Korean submarine commander has boarded an operational U.S. SSBN, as well as the first joint boarding by submarine commanders from the three countries of South Korea, the United States, and Japan.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 4th, the U.S. Department of Defense announced through the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) that on the 18th of last month, Major General Lee Soo-yeol, Commander of the Republic of Korea Navy Submarine Command, Rear Admiral Rick Shef, Commander of the U.S. 7th Submarine Squadron, and Vice Admiral Tawara Tateki, Commander of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Submarine Fleet, visited the U.S. military base in Guam and boarded the SSBN USS Maine.

The U.S. allowing a South Korean military commander to board an SSBN, considered one of the most covert assets among nuclear forces, demonstrates the strength of the South Korea-U.S. alliance and is interpreted as a strong warning message to North Korea, which continues nuclear and missile provocations.

The U.S. military also unusually released photos of the Ohio-class SSBN 741 USS Maine entering the Pacific Guam base for resupply on the 26th of last month, the day before the summit between President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden.

SSBNs, along with SSNs (attack nuclear-powered submarines), are key U.S. strategic assets deployed near the Korean Peninsula, and it is very rare for the location of an SSBN to be disclosed. The Ohio-class SSBN is equipped with the low-yield tactical nuclear warhead “W76-2” for submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs).

The W76-2 is mounted on the “Trident II D5” SLBM, which has a range of over 12,000 km. The W76-2 is a low-yield nuclear warhead reduced to about 5-7 kilotons from the original W76’s 90 kilotons. The USS Maine that recently docked had previously test-fired a Trident II D5 equipped with the W76-2 in February 2020.

The “Washington Declaration,” adopted at this recent South Korea-U.S. summit, specifies “port visits by SSBNs to South Korea” as a means to regularly increase the visibility of extended deterrence. Some speculate that the USS Maine may visit South Korea in conjunction with the upcoming Group of Seven (G7) summit scheduled for June 19-21 in Hiroshima, Japan.

Rear Admiral Shef said, “This boarding reflects the special relationship with South Korea and Japan and our ironclad commitment to each alliance,” adding, “This strategic nuclear submarine is a very effective, stable, and decisive element of U.S. nuclear deterrence.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.