The United States has begun the construction of a next-generation ballistic missile-equipped nuclear submarine, that is, the next-generation strategic nuclear submarine (SSBN), in earnest to respond to China’s military expansion.
According to the U.S. Naval Research Institute (USNI) website and insider media on the 13th, a ground-breaking ceremony for the first Columbia-class strategic nuclear submarine, SSBN 826, was held at the Queenset Point Submarine Construction Base in Rhode Island on the 4th. The Columbia-class Strategic Nuclear Submarine (SSBN) is an 18,000-ton-class next-generation ballistic missile-loaded nuclear submarine.
The Columbia-class strategic nuclear submarine is the next-generation SSBN that will replace the 14 Ohio-class (8,750-ton) SSBNs that are currently the main U.S. SSBN. The US plans to acquire 12 Columbia-class SSBNs by 2041. The Columbia-class SSBN has 16 ballistic missile launchers, fewer than the Ohio-class SSBN’s 24.
However, the Columbia-class SSBN is much larger than the Ohio-class in length (158 m) and has excellent propulsion and performance. The United States’ start to build the Columbia-class SSBN seems to be a steppingstone for maintaining China’s overwhelming submarine and nuclear power in the future.
The 14 Ohio-class SSBNs, the current flagship U.S. SSBN, were built between 1976 and 1997. The United States has been pushing forward with the establishment of a Columbia-class SSBN construction plan in 2007. The U.S. Department of defence allocated $6.3 billion to the development of the Columbia-class SSBN in the defence budget for fiscal year 2023 submitted to the U.S. Congress in March.
The first Columbia-class SSBN will be available for commissioning in 2027, the USNI expects. Strategic nuclear submarines are the core strength of nuclear powers and are considered as strategic weapons with the ability to survive and deliver retaliatory strikes even if they receive a nuclear attack from the other nuclear powers.