US Navy boosts Indo-Pacific might with another 'apex predator': Fast-attack submarine USS Minnesota joins Guam fleet

 The US deployed the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Minnesota at Naval Base Guam, a naval installation located on Apra Harbor, occupying the Orote Peninsula. The move— part of the strategic laydown plan of the US for naval forces in the Indo-Pacific region—has been billed as a power posture amid growing tensions with China.

Guam, the westernmost US territory in the Pacific and is closer to major Asian cities, including Beijing, plays a major role in the US military strategy and geopolitical positioning in the Indo-Pacific region. It serves as a strategic outpost in the Western Pacific, playing a crucial role in maintaining stability across the region. The US Navy said the security environment in the Indo-Pacific requires that the US Navy stations the most capable units forward.

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The presence of the new submarine will help the US enhance deterrence in the region.

Virginia-class submarines are the US Navy’s next-generation attack submarines and are set to replace the aging Los Angeles-class submarines. The first Virginia-class fast-attack submarine to be forward deployed to Guam, USS Minnesota joins four Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarines forward deployed in the Pacific.

Capable of supporting various missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, strike warfare, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, the presence of the submarine will further enhance the US Navy's operational capabilities and further strengthen deterrence efforts throughout the Indo-Pacific.

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"This posture allows flexibility for maritime and joint force operations, with forward-deployed units ready to rapidly respond to deter aggression and promote a peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region," the Navy said in a statement.

Hailed as the “apex predators of the sea”, Guam’s fast-attack submarines serve as the tip of the spear, helping to reaffirm the submarine forces’ forward-deployed presence in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific, the US Navy added.