USS Georgia launched more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles toward targets including Isfahan.
The US Air Force’s unparalleled B-2 bomber fleet continues to make headlines for its role in striking Iran’s nuclear assets over the weekend, however, other key platforms ensured that the high-stakes air campaign went smoothly. In addition to the core strike package delivered by the Spirit bombers, 125 aircraft ranging from fighter jets and air refueling tankers to intelligence aircraft and submarines took part in the mission. A single US Navy submarine launched more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles toward targets including Isfahan. Although the service or White House has yet to name the vessel involved, the Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Georgia (SSGN 729) was likely the culprit based on its position in the region last fall.
USS Georgia deployed to the Middle East in September 2024. “The United States deployed the USS Georgia in response to retaliation threats from Iran and Hezbollah against Israel for twin assassinations of Hezbollah’s top commander, Fuad Shukr, in Beirut and Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran,” Al-Monitor reported at the time. The presence of the Ohio-class cruise missile submarine in the region indicates USS Georgia was the culprit behind the Tomahawk missile launch.
An Overview of the Ohio-class SSGNs
Designed during the height of the Cold War, the Ohio vessels were conceptualized to represent an unparalleled counter to the Soviet Union’s advancing sea fleet in the 1980s. In order to supersede its adversary, the Ohio submarines were designed to feature Trident ballistic missiles. The initial eight Ohio-class vessels were armed with two dozen Trident I C4 submarine-launched ballistic missiles. Following the collapse of the USSR, however, a subsequent nuclear posture review would dictate that the United States would only require 14 of its SSBNs to provide sufficient deterrence. The Navy converted four of its SSBNS into SSGNs to abide by treaty guidelines.
The service’s SSGNs are equipped to carry up to 154 Tomahawk land attack missiles, in addition to torpedo-launched Harpoon anti-ship missiles. The vertical launch system tubes for the TLAMs can carry supplies, extending the on-station time of the submarine as well as providing support for up to 66 members of special forces teams. In total, the Ohio-class SSGNs represent more than half of the submarine force’s vertical launch payload capacity combined.
USS Georgia was constructed by the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in the late 1970s. Following its shakedown cruise one decade later, Georgia embarked on its first strategic deterrence patrol near Midway Island. The Ohio-class submarine was officially redesignated to a SSGN in 2004, where it simultaneously underwent a scheduled engineered refueling overhaul. While USS Georgia, and its Ohio-class brethren, remain critical players in the Navy’s sea-based strategy, these submarines are nearing their scheduled retirements. The service aims to field its new Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines as replacements down the line.
About the Author: Maya Carlin
Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. Carlin has over 1,000 articles published over the last several years on various defense issues.
Image: DVIDS.
