Ballistic Missile Submarine Makes History at Diego Garcia

At the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) of Diego Garcia,a militarised atoll in the central part of the Indian Ocean,the US Navy Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS West Virginia (SSBN 736) recently made the first-ever port call by an SSBN at the joint US/UK military base,Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia.Carrying up to 20 sea-launched Trident D5 ICBMs with nuclear warheads,the West Virginia was in port from 25-31 October,according to U.S. Strategic Command.The port call had been withheld from the media to protect the secrecy of nuclear submarine operations.It was part of the West Virginia's sustained deterrence operations in the U.S. Central Command and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command areas of responsibility.The extended deterrence patrol provides security and stability to US Allies and a warning to US adversaries such as China,Russia,North Korea and Iran.* Ohio-class submarines such as USS West Virginia serve as an undetectable platform for submarine-launched ballistic missiles,and are thus the most secure leg of the land/air/sea nuclear deterrent triad.Before its port call at Diego Garcia,the West Virginia had surfaced to embark USCENTCOM commander General Michael Kurilla,US Army,in the Arabian Sea and participated in a joint USSTRATCOM-led communications drill to validate emerging and innovative tactics in the Indian Ocean,which is third in size among the world's oceans.Noted Vice Admiral Willaim Houston,commander of Naval Submarine Forces:The stealth and response capability of these submarines combined with the crew's training make our SSBNs the most powerful warships in the world.* Indeed,the West Virginia conducted a complete 150-person crew exchange while berthed at Diego Garcia and a replenishment at sea,showcasing the SSBN's readiness and flexibility to remain on long patrols.Such submarine forces can leverage undersea concealment to permit unique operational,deterrent and combat effects.Twenty-four hours a day and year-round from any location,USSTRATCOM forces deter strategic attacks and guarantee the security of the US and its Allies.* So Diego Garcia is located just south of the equator in the Central Indian Ocean.Besides its deep water lagoon,the base has two 12,000 ft/3657 m runways capable of handling strategic nuclear-capable bombers.It isn't known if nuclear weapons are actually stored on the atoll.Under its agreement with the UK,the US is permitted to use the base until at least 2036.It was used in the Gulf War;Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan);and Operation Iraqi Freedom.Three to five thousand US troops serve there for one-year tours.No families are allowed,although civilian contractors do live on the atoll to provide critical services.Diego Garcia was reportedly used as a CIA black site for prisoner interrogation and a NASA alternate Space Shuttle Landing Facility.*