U.S. Reveals They Have a Nuclear Sub Right Between Moscow and Beijing

The U.S. military took the unusual decision of revealing that its top commander for the Middle East was on an American ballistic missile submarine in the Arabian Sea.

In a move that is likely to make waves in the region, General Erik Kurilla boarded USS West Virginia for about eight hours on Wednesday at an undisclosed location in international waters.

The vessel is one of the U.S. Navy's Ohio Class, long-range submarines which as part of the country's nuclear triad, can launch nuclear missile strikes. One of six ballistic-missile submarines stationed at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia, USS West Virginia can carry up to 20 submarine-launched ballistic missiles with multiple warheads.

The Pentagon rarely reveals the location of its nuclear-powered submarines which often do not patrol the Middle East, the Associated Press reported. But it comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin makes nuclear threats regarding the war in Ukraine.

Also, the head of the U.S. Navy Admiral Mike Gilday warned this week that the American military must be prepared for the possibility of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan before 2024. It followed comments by Secretary of State Antony Blinken said China was "determined to pursue reunification on a much faster timeline" with the self-governing island.

Meanwhile, Iran, which is in the Central Command region, has been supplying Putin's troops with drones, which are being used to hit civilian targets in Ukraine.

"When @usnavy ballistic missile submarine surfaces and a geographic combatant command puts out notice of its location a message is being sent to someone," tweeted Steven Pifer, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.

When asked who he believed the message was intended for, Pifer told Newsweek, "I'm still trying to figure that out. Could be a two-fer—a message to both Moscow and Beijing to remind them of U.S. strategic capabilities."

U.S. Central Command said Kurilla met with Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, the commander of the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, on the submarine and got a "hands-on demonstration" of what the vessel could do.

Kurilla described the submarine as part of the "crown jewel of the nuclear triad" which demonstrated "flexibility, survivability, readiness, and capability of USCENTCOM and USSTRATCOM forces at sea."

His visit comes as NATO starts annual nuclear exercises in northwestern Europe which involve fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear warheads and U.S. long-range B-52 bombers.

The alliance has insisted that Operation Steadfast Noon had been planned for a long time and was not linked to the war in Ukraine. But as Katarzyna Zysk from the Norwegian Institute for Defense Studies previously told Newsweek, the drills that last until October 30 and involve 14 alliance members, aim to maintain "the credibility of deterrence and defense," of the alliance.