Virginia-class subs could carry nukes

Congress likely to push back on idea, said to be in response to Russia violating treaty

The Navy’s director of undersea warfare recently told federal lawmakers that Virginia-class attack submarines could be armed with nuclear weapons for “escalation control,” which would represent a shift in how these submarines are used.

“In terms of the submarine launched cruise missile with a potential nuclear warhead, that would be something that would be incorporated on the Virginia (class submarines) ... (as) an additional tool for escalation control,” Rear Adm. John W. Tammen, Jr., testified at a March 20 hearing of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee.

President Donald Trump’s new nuclear weapons policy calls for the development of a nuclear-armed cruise missile that could be launched from the Navy’s guided-missile or attack submarines, and the president’s 2019 budget request includes $1 million for a preliminary study into the development of a sea-launched, nuclear-tipped cruise missile.

The move would expand the current capabilities of attack submarines, which are designed to seek and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships. Attack submarines can carry out strikes with Tomahawk cruise missiles, characterized as medium- to long-range, low-altitude missiles, as well as torpedoes. These submarines had the capability to launch cruise missiles with nuclear warheads, but that was done away with in the 2010 Nuclear Posture Review under President Barack Obama.

Only the Navy’s larger ballistic-missile submarines currently are

armed with nuclear weapons. These submarines, designed for nuclear deterrence, are capable of launching intercontinental missiles and are seen as the most survivable leg of the U.S. nuclear triad due to their stealth.

There’s likely to be pushback in Congress against arming attack submarines with nuclear weapons.

“The rationale given is it’s a response to Russia’s violations of the INF treaty,” said U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, ranking member of the seapower subcommittee.

The 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty between U.S. and Russia reduced the size of each country’s nuclear arsenal. The treaty does not apply to sea launched missiles.

“A lot of us are not convinced that this is the right way to respond to that,” Courtney said. “... Once people know nuclear warheads could be on cruise missiles, it creates a lot of confusion, which is why we signed the INF treaty to begin with . ... Lowering the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons is not what we need right now.”

If nuclear weapons were incorporated on Virginia submarines, it wouldn’t be until well into the 2020s, according to Courtney. And it’s not the Navy’s decision, it’s Congress’ since it authorizes funding, he said.

“Compared to where we are today, this is a big change in the missions of the attack submarine fleet,” he said.