U.S. Navy Tests Its Nuclear Missile Forces

Image Credit: US Navy

The Diplomat: Pacific Ocean: US Navy Submarine Fires 4 Ballistic Missiles

The U.S. Navy conducted ballistic missile test launches from a submarine in the Pacific Ocean this month.

An Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) assigned to the U.S. Navy’s Submarine Group 9 test launched a number of Trident II D5 ballistic missiles from submerged position in the Pacific Missile Range off the coast of California in February, the U.S. Navy announced in a press release.

The test launches were conducted over a three-day period from February 14 to 16 as part of a so-called Follow-on Commander’s Evaluation Test (FCET). “The primary objective of an FCET is to obtain, under operationally representative conditions, valid reliability, accuracy, and performance of the missile system for use by Commander, Strategic Command and the Joint Chiefs of Staff,” according to a U.S. Navy statement.

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Update: U.S. Navy test fires Trident missile as tensions heat up with Russia and North Korea (Military Times).

WNU Editor: Upgrading and modernising America's nuclear forces is not going to be cheap .... Nuclear modernisation costs: $400B over 10 years (Defense News). More here .... Sprucing up America's Nuclear Arsenal Will Cost $400 Billion (Popular Mechanics).