This is one of the United States’ most powerful weapons: never seen, and now emerging amid tensions in the Pacific | US university news

The submarine USS Nevada, one of the US Navy’s most powerful ships, has been sent to the military base on the island of Guam, near China, at a time of heightened political tensions in the region.

Submersible equipment that has the ability to transport 24 ballistic missiles and dozens of nuclear warheads Undiscovered, and deployed, according to images released by the Navy, last weekend in an unusual movement not seen since 2016.

“The visit to the port of Guam enhances cooperation between the United States and its allies in the region, demonstrating The ability, flexibility, and willingness of the United States and its continued commitment to the security and stability of the Indo-Pacific region.

The USS Nevada is an Ohio-class submarine that is part of the so-called “nuclear triad” they form with strategic bomber aircraft and silo-based missiles. It is headquartered at Naval Base Kitsap in Washington, but It can spend months underwater without revealing its locationusing nuclear propulsion.

There are 14 such submarines and their movements are usually classified as lightly classified. After spending 77 days on the mission, they usually return to collect supplies for crews, which can exceed 150 officers.

According to a Navy statement, the aircraft carrier, the Nevada, arrived at the port of Abra on Guam on Friday, January 14.

Guam is located in the Mariana Islands archipelago. It is the largest in the south of the island chain and the largest in Micronesia. It is one of 14 unincorporated territories in the United States.

The Navy said the visit “complements the numerous exercises, operations, training activities, and military cooperation activities undertaken by the Strategic Forces to ensure that they are available and ready for action around the world at any time.”

Publishing USS Nevada It was taken as a warning to the United States’ regional adversaries This is taking place in the context of heightened geopolitical tensions with China and the latest missile tests by North Korea.

This sends a message, intended or not: We can park 100 nuclear warheads on your doorstep and you won’t know and you won’t be able to do much about it. Thomas Shugart, a former submarine captain in the US Navy who now works as an analyst at the Center for a New American Security, told CNN that the opposite is not true and will not last for long.

The Boomer, as this class of US Navy submarines are known, last visited Guam in 2016, when the USS Pennsylvania made a stop there.