Diego Garcia and Ohio Class Subs

A lesson on how to get around the SALT and START treaties.

US Navy builds Stingray-esque base in Indian Ocean

Reports have emerged that the US Navy is upgrading its submarine base at the isolated tropical atoll Diego Garcia, which is formally British territory.

The base improvements will allow its new class of SSGN nuclear submarines to operate from Diego Garcia, which is potentially noteworthy. The tiny island group is situated in the middle of the Indian Ocean, giving the US and its allies access to various strategic maritime choke points such as the Straits of Hormuz – the entrance to the Gulf – and the pirate-plagued waters of the Bab-el-Mandeb at the foot of the Red Sea.

www.theregister.co.uk...

In depth article on the Ohio Class Sub retrofit.

SSGN "Tactical Trident" Subs: Special Forces and Super Strike

Four ultra-stealthy Ohio-class SSBNs are having their 24 Trident II D-5 nuclear ballistic missiles removed and replaced with up to 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles. The USA is also adding accomodation for 66-102 special forces troops, special attachments for new Advanced SEAL Delivery System (ASDS) or older Seal Delivery Vehicle (SDV) "mini-subs," and a mission control center. In future, the SSGNs may also carry UUV underwater robotic vehicles and even UAVs for aerial operations.

www.defenseindustrydaily.com...

It's appears that someone in the Navy is actually looking at the bottom line
and using a weapon to it's full capability and not just tossing it a side and then asking Congress for a new one.

I was kind of wavering on this one, as it would require removing SSBNs to do, but after hearing the reports of testing, and some of the things they want to do with them, I think it's a great idea. I'm with you, it's nice to see them actually being smart with getting a "new" weapons system, and not spending billions to design/test/build a totally new system that would take 15 years to be in the field.