Stealthy Virginia-Class Attack Submarines Patrol Mediterranean in Position to Strike

by Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

The on-time-for-Christmas return of the USS Colorado Virginia-class attack submarine to Groton, Conn., from the Mediterranean raises interesting questions about the potential role of US Navy attack submarines related to current deterrence missions throughout the Middle East. The announcement of the return of the USS Colorado stationed in the Mediterranean, cited in a Navy essay, comes a few weeks after the US Navy published a photo of one of its attack submarines near the Suez canal in the Middle East. 

It takes little imagination to recognize that torpedo and Tomahawk armed Virginia-class attack submarines could track and destroy Houthi and Iranian vessels and, if needed, destroy land targets with clandestine precision strikes. Operating in support of surface ships in the Eastern Mediterranean or Red Sea, attack submarines could likely approach high-risk, dangerous coastal areas inaccessible or too dangerous for large-draft surface ships.

The tactical and strategic foundation of such a mission is likely related to the Pentagon strong “deterrence” posture in the region, which has been to withhold large responsive attacks, yet ensure lethal forward presence to ensure adversaries are away of the US Navy’s ability to respond with destructive force. The aim of such a focus, as described by the Pentagon, has been to prevent the current Hamas-Israeli conflict from spreading into a wider conflict throughout the region. 

Therefore, what kinds of missions did the deployed USS Colorado perform? Where did it operate after deploying from Rota, Spain? It is not likely to be accidental that there was and is no public information related to these kinds of questions, for understandable and obvious security reasons. The mission scope and precise locations are rarely if ever discussed by Senior Navy officials and weapons developers, yet the broad scope of operational possibilities for Virginia-class attack submarines has been massively expanding in recent years, given the scope of technological upgrades built into Block III and beyond Virginia-class attack submarines. The Block III attack submarines are engineered with a fiber-optic cable so seamen can view the periscope images from anywhere within the boat without having to “stand beneath” a periscope. They are also engineered with a Large Aperture Bow more sensitive sonar system and a computerized navigational system which can use automation to adjust depth, course and speed without needing hydraulic manual controls.

This kind of technological improvement in key areas such as surveillance, quieting, command and control and lethality expand the mission possibilities across the Middle East as torpedo and tomahawk armed attack submarines could search for surface ships, enemy submarines, mines and even key land targets with its Large Aperture Bow sonar array and Fly-by-Wire computerized navigation. Block III and beyond submarines also operate with new quieting technologies and communications gear intended to increase stealthy qualities and improve the range and fidelity of sensors and communications equipment. 

Patrolling at most points anywhere across the Eastern half of the Mediterranean would place attack submarines well within striking distance of most of the Middle East, to include Iran.