Exploring an epochal agreement between USA And South Korea One parameter stands out for deterring the North Korean aggression announced this week. This parameter concerns plans to send a US nuclear submarine to South Korea for the first time in 40 years..

“The Mutual Defense Treaty is strong and includes commitments to expand measures related to nuclear deterrence,” the US president said. Joe Bidenat a joint press conference he gave at the White House with the President of South Korea, Yoon Seok Yeol.

And although many recognize this movement its symbolic meaningsome specialists question its military value. In particular, some point out that submarines are technically capable of striking North Korea from thousands of miles away. While others express concern that agreeing to send a submarine “in such a public manner” undermines effectiveness “silent weapon“.

The CNN publication tries to decipher the characteristics of the agreement on the mission of the submarine, its military capabilities, as well as the geopolitical aspect of this agreement.

Submarine characteristics

According to the publication, the US Navy has 14 nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs), eight of which are based in Washington state and six in Georgia.

The Navy claims the Ohio-class SSBN is rated for an average of 77 days at sea. Each submarine has two crews that rotate in such a way that their members have the necessary time for rest and training.

“These submarines do not have to be close to Korea to hit their potential targets there.”, notes Blake Herzinger, a research fellow at the US Center for Research.

Analysis and data cited by CNN report that each Trident missile can carry four nuclear warheads, which in practice means that each US ballistic missile submarine can carry about 80 nuclear warheads. In other words, as noted by CNN, one equipped submarine could destroy the entirety of North Korea.

Reasons for the mission

Analysts say the presence of a US Navy ballistic missile submarine in a South Korean port is clearly symbolic character, since this significantly “belittles” the very military value of the weapon.

“The US and South Korea are ‘disabling’ the submarine’s most powerful element, the ability to deal ‘invisible’ damage,” said Karl Schuster, a former US Navy SEAL and former chief of operations for the Pacific Command Intelligence Center. USA in Hawaii.

“A prerequisite for nuclear deterrence is the fact that, even if the enemy knows about the presence and scope of a given state’s nuclear weapons, he does not know the exact size or location of their capabilities or the time at which they are planned to be used. ,” Daniel Post explained in the journal Proceedings of US Naval Institute in January.

Hundreds of meters below the ocean and thousands of kilometers from North Korea, a US ballistic missile would still be within range of Pyongyang, but would be nearly impossible to detect from North Korea, according to CNN’s analysis.

On the contrary, according to Schuster, a missile arriving at a South Korean port would be much more visible, giving North Korea an advantage.

“If Kim Jong Un was going to launch a surprise attack, we have now given him the location of the submarine and the time it will be there.“, he notes.

Is it only a symbolic move?

According to CNN, the US wants to reassure one of its most important allies that he is on his side.

After all, we live in a time when Kim Chen In builds up North Korea’s nuclear forces with record-breaking tests in 2022. In a speech on New Year’s Eve, the North Korean leader spoke of an “exponential increase” in his country’s nuclear arsenal in response to “threats,” he said. USA and South Korea.

Kim’s threats sparked calls in South Korea for Seoul to also become a nuclear power. The United States, for its part, does not want the spread of nuclear weapons on the peninsula, so they followed the practice of “calming” their allies by strengthening their forces in the region.

Kim Jong-sup, a researcher at the Sejong Institute for Defense Studies in Seoul, believes the submarine expedition is part of the same policy and is meant to boost US credibility.

“Of course, this is a different type of weaponry, but in this step there is no significant difference at the level of strategy,” he adds, explaining that the US is trying to send a signal to North Korea.

“Their main purpose is to deter and reassure,” said Drew Thompson, a research fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.

“Strategic weapons such as a ballistic missile submarine and its cargo are not intended to be used,” he concludes.