12 New Tridents On The Way!!!

It's official!  The Navy has confirmed that it plans to build 12 Ohio class ballistic missile submarines to replace the current fleet of 14.  IHS Jane's reports that the new subs will each have 16 missile launch tubes.  You can read the Navy's announcement further on in this post.

Based on the current engineering, research and design effort, the Navy projects construction beginning in 2021 and the first sub going out on "deterrent" patrol in 2031.

Rear Adm. Thomas J. Eccles, chief engineer and deputy commander Naval Systems Engineering Directorate, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), made a statement hearkening back to the Cold War when he said that "The Ohio Replacement Program will serve as the backbone of our nation's nuclear deterrence into the 2080s." 

Besides the archaic references to "deterrence" in the Navy's announcement, that statement also confirms that the first strike Trident nuclear weapons system will continue to be the centerpiece of the nation's nuclear forces.   

Here is another rather bizarre statement in the announcement.  Eccles' also stated that "It is vital that we perform the rigorous engineering, research, and design work now so that we can ensure that the platform is able to address and best the threats of future highly complex national security environments."  You just have to wonder what kind of "future highly complex national security environments" will require the U.S. to deploy $7 Billion nuclear weapons launch platforms designed to sneak up on targets and fire nuclear armed missiles.

Construction costs for the 12 new subs range as high as $110 Billion!!!  Can we afford either the extraordinary construction, operational and maintenance costs, or the risks that at least 50 years of continued deployment of Trident ballistic missiles will present???

Although one the most sophisticated weapons systems ever devised, the Trident nuclear weapons system is also archaic, an aging relic of the Cold War.  It was devised in the time of the madness in which both the U.S. and Soviets worked continually using nuclear one-upmanship.  The only thing Trident is for is mass annihilation.

As our government continues to spend hundreds of billions of our tax dollars on weapons of mass destruction that quite literally threaten all of humanity we would do well to ask our representatives in Washington, DC - What is all this money buying us???

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Navy Signs Specification Document For The Ohio Replacement Submarine Program, Sets Forth Critical Design Elements

Story Number: NNS120906-13Release Date: 9/6/2012     From Team Submarine Public Affairs

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Navy formalized key ship specifications for both the United States' Ohio Replacement and United Kingdom's Successor Programs in a document signed Aug. 31 at the Washington Navy Yard.

Rear Adm. Thomas J. Eccles, chief engineer and deputy commander Naval Systems Engineering Directorate, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) and Capt. William J. Brougham, Ohio Replacement program manager signed the Ohio Replacement First Article Quad Pack Ship Specification document, marking a major construction milestone.

"This document marks significant forward progress for both the U.S. and UK future strategic submarine deterrent programs," said Brougham. "It is a direct result of the engineering rigor and professionalism of government and industry partners on both shores of the Atlantic."

Ship specifications are critical for the design and construction of the common missile compartment, which will be used by both nations' replacement fleet ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) programs. Specifically, the First Article Quad Pack Ship Specification establishes a common design and technical requirements for the four missile tubes and associated equipment that comprise each quad pack.

"The Ohio Replacement Program will serve as the backbone of our nation's nuclear deterrence into the 2080s," said Eccles. "It is vital that we perform the rigorous engineering, research, and design work now so that we can ensure that the platform is able to address and best the threats of future highly complex national security environments."

The Ohio Replacement SSBN Program is tasked with recapitalizing the nation's sea-based strategic deterrent in a cost-effective manner. The Navy plans to replace its current fleet of 14 Ohio-class SSBNs with only 12 Ohio Replacement SSBNs. The first Ohio Replacement is scheduled to begin construction in fiscal year 2021, deliver to the Navy in 2027, and conduct its first strategic deterrence patrol in 2031 after undergoing a rigorous testing and evaluation regime.

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Editor's Note: Sentences above highlighted in bold typeface for emphasis.