US Submarine Awarded for National Security Missions in ‘Hostile’ Waters

A United States nuclear-powered submarine was awarded for conducting missions vital to national security in the “hostile and challenging” waters of the Western Pacific Ocean.

Why It Matters

China has the world’s largest with more than 370 ships and submarines, and the U.S. continues to monitor Chinese naval activities in the Western Pacific Ocean and deploys cruise-missile submarines in strategic outposts in the region.

What To Know

The U.S. Navy vessel USS Michigan is an Ohio-class guided-missile submarine that can carry up to 154 Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles, capable of hitting targets 1,000 miles away. It can also host up to 66 personnel for special operation missions.

The submarine, which is homeported in Bangor, Washington, has been operating in the Western Pacific Ocean since 2022, the U.S. Navy’s photos showed. It visited Japan’s island of Okinawa, Busan in South Korea, and America’s strategic outpost in Guam.

According to photos published by the U.S. Pacific Fleet Submarine Force on January 8, the crew members of the Michigan were presented with the Navy Unit Commendation at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, a U.S. military base in Hawaii, on December 19, 2024.

“The Navy Unit Commendation was presented to the crews of [the] Michigan for displaying superb operational planning and risk management during the completion of three highly successful missions vital to national security,” the American submarine force said.

The award is presented by the Secretary of the Navy to any unit of the Navy or the Marine Corps for “outstanding heroism in action against the enemy” or “extremely meritorious service” in support of military operation, the Department of the Navy said in a document.

“Details regarding [the] Michigan‘s operations referenced in the award citation will not be provided due to operational security,” said Commander Rick Moore, spokesperson of the U.S. Pacific Fleet Submarine Force, in an email response to Newsweek‘s request for comment.

However, the text of the citation, which was visible in the photo, has revealed that the Michigan performed the missions from October 9, 2022, to January 16, 2024, and its achievements “significantly enhanced warfighting readiness” in the Western Pacific.

The submarine’s performance also advanced undersea warfare emerging capabilities, the citation read, “particularly involving the employment of unmanned undersea vehicles.”

The War Zone, a specialist outlet, said this indicated that the Michigan, which its missions included intelligence collection, has used UUVs, also known as underwater drones. It is capable of deploying and recovering drones from torpedo tubes and missile launch tubes.

The submarine could have used or tested a number of UUVs, said Tom Shugart, a former U.S. Navy submariner and an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, including a large displacement unmanned undersea vehicle known as Snakehead.

This UUV is designed to fit in a larger tube like the Michigan‘s dry deck shelter, Shugart told Newsweek. The DDS is a module that attaches on top of the submarine’s hull and allows divers and drones to exit and enter while the submarine is submerged.

What People Are Saying

The Navy Unit Commendation presented to the crews of the Michigan read: “By their truly distinctive achievements, demonstrated skill, and unfailing devotion to duty, the officers and enlisted personnel of USS Michigan reflected great credit upon themselves and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.”

Commander Rick Moore, the U.S. Pacific Fleet Submarine Force spokesperson, told Newsweek: “Ohio-class guided-missile submarines (SSGN) provide the U.S. Navy with unprecedented strike and special operation mission capabilities from a stealth, clandestine platform.”

Tom Shugart, a former U.S. Navy submariner and an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, told Newsweek: “While production of that [Snakehead] UUV was canceled, I believe they have at least one prototype that could have been used for testing and development in an overseas operational environment.”

What Happens Next

The U.S. Navy is likely to continue to deploy the Ohio-class guided-missile submarines to the Western Pacific Ocean, where China has been expanding and modernizing its fleet of warships to challenge America’s naval dominance in the contested waters of the region.