First U.S. Virginia Class Attack Submarine Permanently Forward Deployed on Guam: Pivot to Target China Continues

<p >The U.S. Navy has begun its first permanent forward deployment of a Virginia Class nuclear powered attack submarine to Guam, with the USS Minnesota’s new base location expected to facilitate more effective projection of American naval power into the Western Pacific. Although the most conspicuous force deployments on Guam have in recent years involved strategic bombers, with B-52s and <a href=" target="_blank">B-1s based</a> there having<a href=" target="_blank"> frequently flown</a> and <a href=" target="_blank">exercised near</a> China and North Korea, naval facilities on the territory are also highly significant. The Navy currently bases four nuclear powered attack submarines on Guam, namely the USS Annapolis, USS Asheville, USS Jefferson City and USS Springfield, although these are all older Los Angeles Class ships commissioned in the early 1990s. The Virginia Class was developed as a successor with significantly superior stealth capabilities, and is considerably faster but close to three times as costly to build. The Navy’s satisfaction with the design has led it to plan a very large fleet, with the service <a href=" target="_blank">intending to commission</a> 66 of the ships, of which 23 are currently in service. It is expected that the replacement of Los Angeles Class submarines based on Guam will be prioritised, in line with the broader trend towards prioritising the most capable assets for deployment in the Pacific. </p><p ><img src=" title="Virginia Class Attack Submarine"></p><p >The USS Minnesota is a Block 2 Virginia Class submarine and deploys a primary armament of up to 12 Tomahawk cruise missiles. The submarines are<a href=" target="_blank"> expected to deploy</a> nuclear armed cruise missiles early in the 2030s, with such missiles currently being under development. The USS Minnesota’s deployment is part of the Navy’s “strategic laydown plan for naval forces in the Indo-Pacific region,” with the ship now falling under the command of Submarine Squadron 15 alongside the four Los Angeles Class ships. The Navy announced regarding the deployment: “The security environment in the Indo-Pacific requires that the U.S. Navy station the most capable units forward. This posture allows flexibility for maritime and joint force operations, with forward-deployed units ready to rapidly respond to deter aggression and promote a peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.” Lieutenant Commander Rick Moore, a Submarine Force Pacific spokesman, elaborated that the ship “adds a next-generation attack submarine with advanced capabilities to the forward-deployed naval force.” The establishment of maintenance facilities for Virginia Class ships on Guam is expected to help sustain the large presence of the vessels in the Western Pacific, where they are intended to play a central role in any potential U.S.-led war against China or North Korea. </p><p ><img src=" title="U.S. Air Force B-52H Nuclear Capable Strategic Bombers on Guam "></p><p >The U.S. has <a href=" >invested heavily to expand</a> its missile defence capabilities on Guam, with facilities on the territory expected to gain growing importance as the Marine presence grows, and as the <a href=" target="_blank">new B-21 bomber </a>enters service. American adversaries have prioritised the ability to target Guam, with a major milestone being North Korea’s <a href=" >successful testing </a>of an intermediate range solid fuel ballistic missile with hypersonic glide vehicle, the Hwasong-16B, in March. China’s rapidly expanding arsenal of DF-26 intermediate range ballistic missiles are among the many assets in its arsenal placing Guam in the crosshairs, while Russia’s Oreshnik intermediate range ballistic missile <a href=" >first announced</a> to be in service on November 21 provides a similar strike capability. The growing vulnerability of facilities on Guam has led the U.S. Armed Forces to seek to disperse assets more widely across the Western Pacific, including through the construction of new facilities on <a href=" target="_blank">Wake Island </a>and <a href=" target="_blank">Australia</a>. Guam’s position as the crux of America’s forward posture in the region is nevertheless expected to be maintained. </p>