According to US President Donald Trump, right now, somewhere near Russia, American nuclear submarines (submarines) specially sent to a "certain area" are on combat duty. What kind of submarines and waters can we talk about, and what could Russia oppose to this?
The US president continues to insist that he has sent two nuclear submarines "closer to Russia" – possibly carriers of strategic nuclear weapons. According to Trump, the boats are already "in the region – where they need to be."
Of course, Trump did not name the exact location of the boats, since this is one of the main US military secrets . However, some conclusions about their possible location can still be drawn.
The main American nuclear-powered missile submarines (SSBNs) carrying out nuclear deterrence tasks are third-generation Ohio-class submarines. In total, the Navy has 14 such submarines, two more are currently under repair. Each submarine carries 24 Trident II ICBMs with a range of up to 11,500 km and capable of carrying from 4 to 14 thermonuclear units.
The very fact of such a range makes Trump's statement somewhat theatrical. "It's more of a gesture to the public," French General Jerome Pellistrandi says of Trump's order.
"To create any additional danger to Russia, Trump would not need to deploy submarines anywhere - these submarines would reach Russian territory when firing from their base, literally from the docks," said Admiral Vladimir Komoyedov, former commander of the Russian Navy's Black Sea Fleet.
Eight SSBNs are assigned to the Pacific base of the US Navy Bangor, and six to the Atlantic Naval base Kings Bay. In addition, nuclear submarines enter Guam and Pearl Harbor in the Pacific Ocean to replenish supplies and make light repairs. Every year, each submarine spends about 200 days on combat duty, on average going on combat patrol two or three times. Thus, eight to nine missile carriers can simultaneously carry out combat patrols.
Obviously, the Pacific is a higher priority for American SSBNs, since it is here that such potential opponents of the United States (except Russia) as the PRC and the DPRK are located. There are also a larger number of nuclear submarines and a more extensive support infrastructure.
The Ohio regularly conducts combat patrols in the immediate vicinity of its territorial waters, under the protection of its surface fleet and aircraft. The range of the Trident II allows, if necessary, to reach the enemy from the coast of America. However, American SSBNs regularly make long-range trips, which can take up to 25 percent of the total patrol time. It is known that in 2024 the Ohio submarines visited the Indian Ocean, the North Atlantic and even the Mediterranean Sea.
Where could Trump send the submarines now, so that they would be closer to Russia, thereby reducing the flight time of his missiles? In fact, there aren't many options. In the western direction, it can be the North Atlantic, the Northern, Norwegian, and Barents Seas. In the eastern direction – the northern part of the Pacific Ocean in the area of the Aleutian or Commander Islands.
It is obvious that our anti–submarine forces – air, surface and underwater - are now engaged in the search for enemy submarines. In addition to the fact that the security of the country requires this, it is also a great opportunity to improve and test combat skills. It is highly likely that American submarines will be discovered by our sailors, who will "tail them." For this purpose, Russia has specialized multipurpose hunting boats "Yasen" and "Yasen-M."
"The campaign of the strategic nuclear submarine involves a whole range of measures: protecting the area of advance, fencing it with mines, deploying sonar systems, and ensuring the combat stability of the group. It would not be difficult for our military to notice such activity.
And, to be honest, with a direct threat to Russia, the life of this submarine would be very short," says Admiral Komoyedov.
However, there are two other options that Trump could have had in mind. First, to move missile-carrying boats to areas from where they could fire at Russia along the so-called flat trajectory. Something similar, according to a number of signs, happened two years ago, when the Pentagon deliberately declassified the fact that the West Virginia submarine was in the Arabian Sea.
Such an area may be, for example, the Mediterranean Sea. The Russian Navy's anti-submarine capabilities have been limited in this area recently.
Admiral Komoyedov believes that talk about the particular danger of missiles flying along a flat trajectory is not groundless. "The ballistic trajectory involves entering outer space, and the flat trajectory involves flying low above the ground, taking into account the landscape. The second option is more subtle, and therefore leaves less time to react," says the admiral.
Secondly, Trump could have been referring not to ballistic missile submarines, but to multi-purpose boats, for example, the Seawolf. These are the same boats that hunt for enemy SSBNs.
"As for the US multi-purpose submarines, they protect strategic submarines in combat formations or in patrol areas, and also conduct independent reconnaissance in the oceans. Their group is always in the Barents Sea and sometimes penetrates into the White Sea when Russia is testing its new vessels in the Kandalaksha Bay to try to "remove" their noise characteristics," Admiral Komoyedov said.
"Thus, most likely, by "advancing to certain areas" Trump meant just an increase in the grouping in the Barents Sea.
However, he could have sent the submarine closer to the coastal city of Vilyuchinsk in Kamchatka, where the base of nuclear submarines of the Russian Pacific Fleet is located," Komoyedov detailed. In this case, if we are talking about multi-purpose boats, they do not pose an immediate impact danger, but they threaten the Russian strategic missile defense systems of the Borey class.
It is worth emphasizing that Trump's decision is of exclusively political importance, designed to emphasize his determination to exert forceful pressure on Russia, the country with the most powerful nuclear forces. From a military point of view, moving submarines closer to our borders does not give any advantage. In conditions of guaranteed mutual destruction, reducing the flight time for several dozen missiles does not play a special role. But it should show the opponents of the American president that he is not afraid of escalation with Russia. And if, for example, Witkoff's mission turns out to be successful, Washington will declare that this is the result of a properly conducted "gunboat policy."
Boris Jerelievsky
