The U.S. Navy's Virginia Class Submarines Will Now Be Armed With Nuclear Cruise Missiles

The Navy's Virginia Class submarines will now be armed with nuclear warheads

Daily Mail: US Navy's Virginia Class attack submarines will now be equipped with nuclear weapons, which could double the number of subs capable of carrying weapons of mass destruction

* The Navy's Virginia Class submarines will now be armed with nuclear warheads
* As of now, the only nuclear-armed submarines are the Ohio Class, which are due to be replaced by the forthcoming Columbia Class in fiscal year 2031
* There are currently 13 existing commissioned Virginia Class submarines and 14 commissioned Ohio Class submarines
* Existing and new Virginia Class submarines are planned to replace the fleet of 40 Los Angeles Class submarines, as they are deemed necessary to be retired
* This comes as concerns grow over North Korea's long-range nuclear capabilities
* Within the last week, President Donald Trump mentioned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin 'in the not-too-distant-future' to discuss 'the arms race'

The US Navy's Virginia Class submarines will now be armed with nuclear warheads.

This brings the Virginia Class up to par with the Ohio and the forthcoming Columbia classes of submarines, as far as capability of firing nuclear weapons is concerned.

'While Virginia Class submarines can use conventional deterrence to keep adversaries in check, a sub-launched cruise missile with a nuclear warhead would be incorporated into Virginias and give national command authority additional escalation control,' Rear Adm. John Tammen, Director of the Undersea Warfare Division, told Congress, as reported by Fox News.

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Update #1: US Navy's Virginia attack submarines will now fire nuclear weapons, marking dramatic shift -- FOX News
Update #2: Navy Virgina Attack Subs Will Fire Nuclear Warhead, Expand Mission -- Warrior Maven

WNU Editor: There are currently 13 existing commissioned Virginia Class submarines, and they are to replace the existing fleet of 40 Los Angeles Class submarines