US Deploys Ohio-Class Guided-Missile Submarine to Middle East Amid Israel-Hamas Conflict

Deployment intended to deter potential adversaries and increase US force protection capabilities in the region; move comes as part of increased US force posture to prevent conflict from widening.

The US has deployed an Ohio-class guided-missile submarine to deter potential adversaries and increase its force protection capabilities in the Middle East amid the Israel-Hamas conflict. The submarine’s transit through the Suez Canal signals an urgent requirement, as this would inevitably become known to hostile intelligence services.
Ohio-class submarines traditionally remain undetected underwater. It can carry over a hundred Tomahawk cruise missiles and 60+ special forces operators, including members from the US Navy’s elite SEAL teams. The submarine is stealthy, very silent, and hard to detect even for a first-class anti-submarine warfare task force.
The US has increased its military presence in the region, deploying two carrier strike groups and other assets, to prevent the conflict from spreading into a broader war. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin communicated the US’s commitment to deter any state or non-state actor seeking to escalate the conflict.
According to the US Naval Institute, former President George H. W. Bush announced in September 1991 that all tactical nuclear weapons from submarines, surface ships, and land-based aircraft would be withdrawn. Those weapons were stored in reserve and destroyed, and the current day naval fleet’s nuclear weapons are those arming Trident II D-5 submarine-launched ballistic missiles.
Despite the military build-up, Iran seems to believe it can up its aggression with relative impunity. The supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, feels he can draw more American blood to forge the way to the eventual 'sweet spot.' This means causing maximal harm to the US and avoiding excessively harmful US retaliation.