The USS Ohio (SSGN-726) arrived in Guam, marking a significant moment for U.S. naval operations in the Indo-Pacific. The submarine, one of the Navy’s most formidable guided-missile platforms, had just completed a three-year Major Maintenance Period (MMP) at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. Now fully certified for unrestricted operations, Ohio’s deployment to the Western Pacific is a strategic signal amid rising tensions and growing submarine fleets in the region.
The U.S. Navy describes the deployment as routine. But with China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) expanding rapidly and the Indo-Pacific increasingly becoming a theater of great power competition, Ohio’s presence in Guam is anything but ordinary.
Commissioned in 1981 as the first of the Ohio-class, USS Ohio began its service life as a ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) and a cornerstone of America’s nuclear triad. Following the 1994 Nuclear Posture Review, which concluded that 14 SSBNs were sufficient for strategic deterrence, four Ohio-class submarines were slated for conversion to guided-missile submarines (SSGNs). Ohio’s conversion began in 2002, and by 2006, she reemerged as a cruise missile powerhouse and special operations platform.
In her new configuration, Ohio trades Trident nuclear missiles for 154 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAMs) and retains four torpedo tubes for Mk-48 heavyweight torpedoes. Two missile tubes were reengineered as lockout chambers for deploying up to 66 special operations personnel. Advanced communication, surveillance upgrades, and a reconfiguration for clandestine missions made the SSGN a key tool in the Navy’s conventional deterrence strategy.
The recent overhaul from 2022 to 2025 was no minor feat. Over 512,000 resource days went into the maintenance period, involving replacement of the propulsion shaft, modernization of torpedo tubes, structural preservation, and resolution of material obsolescence. Complex fixes such as retrofitting a degraded section of the trim and drain piping required custom mock-ups and reinforcement techniques.
On February 24, 2025, after final certification by the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), USS Ohio reentered the operational fleet, fully mission-ready.
When USS Ohio transited Apra Harbor on April 23, images released by the Navy showed her commanding silhouette — 170 meters in length, nearly 19,000 tons submerged displacement — as she moored at Naval Base Guam. Her arrival marks the third SSGN port call in the Western Pacific within a year, following visits by USS Florida in July and USS Michigan in November 2024.
For Guam, a strategically located U.S. territory roughly 2,900 kilometers from China’s coast, Ohio’s presence enhances the Second Island Chain defense concept. That doctrine aims to check Chinese power projection into the central Pacific while maintaining flexible, forward-deployed assets that can respond rapidly across the region.
On May 6, Ohio participated in joint training with the U.S. Marine Corps. While the Navy declined to elaborate on the exercise’s scope, it was described as advancing “flexible, forward-deployed, rapid-response options.” With more than 150 Tomahawks onboard, Ohio’s offensive capacity alone can shape an entire theater of conflict before surface forces even arrive.
The USS Ohio’s return coincides with accelerating submarine modernization and deployment across the Indo-Pacific.
The PLAN now boasts over 370 ships, including 12 nuclear-powered and 48 diesel-electric submarines. China’s Jin-class SSBNs provide its strategic nuclear deterrent at sea, while the Shang-class SSNs offer fast-attack capabilities. Notably, China continues to develop next-generation boats, including Type 096 SSBNs and Type 095 SSNs, with improved quieting, sensors, and endurance.
Other regional actors are ramping up as well. Australia, under the AUKUS security pact with the U.S. and U.K., is acquiring nuclear-powered SSN-AUKUS submarines. India is investing in new Kalvari-class boats and has a program for indigenous SSBNs. Singapore now operates Invincible-class submarines, and Pakistan is integrating Hangor-class subs based on China’s Type 039A design.
The U.S. response centers on forward-deployment and modernization. In addition to the four SSGNs, the Navy has stationed fast-attack Virginia-class submarines in Guam, including USS Minnesota. These boats are more nimble than their SSGN counterparts but offer fewer missile launchers — a gap the Navy plans to close with Block V Virginias fitted with Virginia Payload Modules (VPMs), each able to carry 28 Tomahawks.
The Navy’s 30-year shipbuilding plan reveals a critical transition looming on the horizon. USS Ohio and USS Florida are scheduled for retirement in 2026, with USS Michigan and USS Georgia following in 2028. These four SSGNs carry about 60% of the Navy’s undersea Tomahawk launch capacity. Their departure will temporarily shrink America’s conventional undersea strike ability — unless VPM-equipped Virginias come online in time.
Adding to the strategic equation is the Columbia-class SSBN, designed to replace the remaining 14 Ohio-class SSBNs starting in the 2030s. Each Columbia-class sub will carry 16 Trident II D5 SLBMs, down from the 24 found on current Ohio SSBNs, but will offer unmatched stealth, survivability, and reactor longevity. The Columbia program, however, has faced development delays, prompting concerns about the Navy’s ability to sustain deterrence and conventional dominance simultaneously.
Meanwhile, the four SSGNs continue to carry an outsized share of the burden.
Ohio’s operational history is rich. In 2010, the submarine participated in a dramatic show of force when three Ohio-class SSGNs surfaced simultaneously in the Pacific, Indian Ocean, and Mediterranean. The aim was clear: demonstrate global reach and readiness.
In 2011, Ohio became one of the first submarines to integrate female officers into its crew, marking a cultural shift in a historically male-dominated service branch. Over the years, she’s earned accolades, including multiple Battle Efficiency Awards (Battle “E”), awarded to ships that display sustained superior performance in an operational environment.
Technically, Ohio is a marvel of Cold War engineering updated for 21st-century missions. Powered by an S8G pressurized water reactor, it can remain submerged for months, its only limits being food and maintenance cycles. Its top submerged speed exceeds 37 km/h (20 knots), and its sonar suite includes passive and towed array systems, enabling it to detect adversaries while remaining nearly invisible itself.
Its mission set includes strike operations, surveillance, and special operations support — making it one of the most versatile vessels in the fleet. With 154 Tomahawks at its disposal, Ohio alone can match or exceed the firepower of a surface task group.
Guam is central to U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy. Home to Naval Base Guam and Andersen Air Force Base, the island enables rapid force projection deep into the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia. It’s also the hub for the Seventh Fleet’s forward-deployed assets, including submarines, destroyers, and aircraft.
USS Ohio’s return to Guam is a reaffirmation of that strategic architecture. With the Second Island Chain as a geographic buffer and launchpad, U.S. submarines can shape battlefields before surface fleets are committed or allies are drawn into direct conflict.
In a potential Taiwan scenario or South China Sea contingency, submarines like Ohio could play an early and decisive role in shaping the tactical landscape — interdicting shipping, striking coastal defenses, and inserting special forces far ahead of any overt action.
With only a year left before planned retirement, USS Ohio’s current mission may be one of its last — but it won’t be quiet. In fact, it may be one of the most impactful. As new threats emerge and old platforms age, Ohio remains proof that submarines aren’t just Cold War relics but evolving instruments of strategy.
The Navy’s balancing act between retiring aging platforms and fielding new ones will define the coming decade. Virginia-class submarines, the Columbia-class SSBN, and AUKUS-based collaboration are critical parts of that equation — but none of them will replace the sheer launch volume of an SSGN overnight.
The U.S. doesn’t announce every submarine movement. That’s part of the mystique — and strategic utility — of undersea warfare. But when it does reveal the arrival of a vessel like the USS Ohio, it’s not simply about logistics or maintenance.
