An artist’s rendering of a Block V Virginia-class submarine firing missiles from underwater. The Block V is the first Virginia-class submarine to feature the “Virginia Payload Module,” an added central section that extends the submarine’s overall length. (Courtesy of General Dynamics Electric Boat)

The US Navy’s Virginia-Class SSGNs Could Be Better Than Their Predecessors

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Some observers have criticized the US Navy’s decision to focus on upgraded Virginia-class submarines instead of purpose-built SSGNs. Nonsense!

The US Navy submarine force is undergoing a revolution of sorts. The Ohio-class nuclear-powered guided-missile submarine (SSGN) USS Georgia (Go Dawgs!) is easing into retirement after decades of service.

To my mind, the SSGN project ranked among the most triumphant in Navy history. After the Cold War, the Pentagon reckoned it no longer needed the full complement of 18 nuclear-powered ballistic-missile subs (SSBNs), or “boomers,” the Navy maintained to fortify nuclear deterrence vis-à-vis the Soviet Union. So naval engineers repurposed four Ohio-class boats to fire Tomahawk conventional cruise missiles, support special operations, and so forth. Each SSGN carries 154 Tomahawks, an imposing arsenal.

The SSGN flotilla performed yeoman service in ensuing decades—including in operations against the Islamic Republic of Iran the past two years. But ships do not last forever. As the retirement of Georgia testifies, the Ohio-class SSGNs and SSBNs are approaching the ends of their service lives—but with no........

© The National Interest