In a rather unusual move, the US overtly revealed its plans over the weekend for the movement of a guided-missile submarine into Middle Eastern waters as regional tensions soar.
The announcement is a clear and intentional warning to Iran and its proxies amid concerns that coming actions could send the region spiraling into further violence.
On Sunday, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin ordered the Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Georgia to the Middle East, where the warship will join many other naval assets positioned across the US Central Command area of responsibility and in the nearby Eastern Mediterranean.
As of Tuesday, the submarine had yet to arrive in the area, Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, told reporters. The Georgia is still on its way, as are other assets like the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, which was also deployed to boost the US naval presence in and around the region.
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Such a public announcement on the movements of a cruise-missile submarine, also known as an SSGN, is significant and unusual, Bryan Clark, a former US Navy officer and defense expert at the Hudson Institute, told Business Insider.
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Typically, he said, two or three of the four US SSGNs would be at sea at a given time, "and it would not be unusual for one to be in the Central Command region."
"What is unusual is for the US to announce that it is moving," he explained. "Normally, the DoD does not discuss submarine operations. The public announcement suggests an intent to deter Iranian aggression," he said, referring to the Department of Defense by its acronym.
The US military has engaged in this sort of signaling in other instances as well. For instance, as tensions in the Middle East began to skyrocket last fall, the US military posted photos of another SSGN transiting the Suez Canal. And more recently, the US Navy put out photos of a ballistic missile sub in waters off northern Europe in another flex of US naval might.
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Still, the practice of announcing submarine movements is uncommon.
"Secretary Austin actually saying the Georgia is going to be in the area is extremely unusual, but it's sending that deterrence signal to a lot of people who might be considering what they're going to do next within the region," retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, the former top Army general in Europe, told CNN this week.
Iran has vowed to take revenge after recent assassinations of top Hezbollah and Hamas leaders, which it blames on Israel. The stated intent in Tehran and among its proxies to retaliate has sparked concerns over a potential all-out regional conflict, putting the US, Israel, and other allies on higher alert.
In an effort to deter Iran, the Pentagon has deployed additional military assets to the Middle East. Along with his announcement of the Georgia's deployment, the secretary of defense has also ordered the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group, equipped with F-35C fighter jets, to accelerate its transit to the area.
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These moves build on a previous order that also called for the movement of fifth-generation fighters and warships armed with the ability to engage ballistic missiles into position in and around the Middle East.
"These US military force posture adjustments are designed to improve US force protection, to increase our support for the defense of Israel, and to ensure the United States is prepared to respond to a wide variety of contingencies," Ryder said Tuesday.
The Pentagon press secretary added that Austin and his Israeli counterpart, Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, had discussed a variety of topics during a Sunday phone call, including "our efforts to deter aggression by Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah, and other Iran-aligned groups across the region."
The ability to send stealthy, highly capable submarines off the coasts of US adversaries reflects the far-reaching might of the US Navy.
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Deploying a guided-missile submarine such as the Georgia to the Middle East also gives the US a major firepower boost. The Georgia is carrying over 150 Tomahawk missiles, making "it a significant strike threat" to a variety of key Iranian military assets, Clark said.
"While aircraft would need to fly over Iranian territory to attack targets deep inside the country, such as the nuclear weapons facilities or ballistic missile launchers, the Georgia could position itself offshore of Iran and hit any spot inside the country with missiles," he explained.
That adds a significant capability to the US forces in the area in the event of a conflict. Ryder said Tuesday, though, that the primary US goal is preventing a fight in the first place.
"Our focus is on de-escalating the situation," he said. "We have put these additional capabilities into the region to enable us, as I highlighted, to protect our forces, but also to support the defense of Israel should it be attacked."
