19 New Nuclear Submarines: The United States' New Naval Buildup Plan — With Eyes on China
Washington reveals its strategy in the event of a possible confrontation with Beijing, which is rapidly building up its forces. The move comes against the backdrop of a significant depletion in US ammunition stocks, which have decreased since President Donald Trump's decision to join Israel and bomb Iran.
The US Navy has announced a fundamental change in its submarine fleet. As part of this move, 19 attack submarines will be converted into guided-missile launchers. This step is intended to provide a response to China's military buildup in the Pacific Ocean. Over the last five years, China has accelerated its submarine program and surpassed the US in several aspects. Despite the temporary reduction in firepower that the move requires, experts have supported it, arguing that it could provide a strategic advantage.
The Pentagon announced that the planned Virginia-class (SSN) attack submarines will now be classified as guided-missile submarines (SSGN). They will be equipped with the Virginia Payload Module (VPM), a section about 25 meters long that will add 28 missile launch cells, in addition to the 12 existing in current models. These cells will be able to carry Tomahawk missiles for land attacks as well as hypersonic vehicles. This combination, along with the stealth capability of the submarines, will allow them to penetrate China's defense systems.
Sidharth Kaushal, a senior fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London, explained that submarines are one of the few capabilities that can operate near or within the first island chain—stretching from Japan south through Taiwan and the Philippines—with relative safety. Kaushal added that hypersonic missiles are a capability against which adversaries have more limited defenses, and bringing missiles closer to targets shortens the adversary's reaction time.
Temporary Reduction in Firepower
The details of the program are published at a critical time for the US Navy, which this year began retiring its four Ohio-class guided-missile submarines. These were converted 20 years ago from their original role as nuclear ballistic missile carriers. Each could carry up to 154 Tomahawk missiles. Bradley Martin, a former Navy captain and researcher at the RAND Corporation, called the Ohio-class submarines the platform with the greatest ability to launch conventional missile payloads. During the 2025 Operation Midnight Hammer strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, an Ohio-class submarine was called in to reinforce B-2 bomber strikes.
However, the USS Georgia began the decommissioning process last month, and the remaining three are expected to follow in the coming years. According to the Submarine Industrial Base Council in Washington, their retirement will reduce the Navy's underwater strike capability by up to 60%. The first Virginia-class submarines in the new configuration are expected to join the fleet only in 2029, with the last planned for 2038. Vice Admiral Rob Gaucher expressed confidence, stating that these submarines will ensure the Navy continues to dominate the underwater domain for decades.
The Race Against China
Analysts note that this is not a direct replacement. A single Virginia-class submarine will carry only about 26% of the missile capacity of an Ohio-class submarine, so four new submarines will be required to match the firepower of one old one. In addition, Ohio-class submarines had two rotating crews, allowing them to stay on mission for twice as long. However, Alessio Patalano, a professor of war and strategy at King's College London, argued that spreading missiles across a large number of platforms makes it harder for the adversary to track them.
China is in the midst of an accelerated submarine construction program. According to a February report, the Chinese Navy has increased production of nuclear submarines over the last five years and is launching them at a faster rate than the United States. Between 2021 and 2025, China surpassed the US in the number of submarines launched (ten versus seven) and in their total volume. Furthermore, the Pentagon estimated in December 2024 that China's rocket force had increased its missile stockpile by 50% within four years. Analyst Decker Eveleth explained that the Chinese military wants to create conditions for an invasion of Taiwan by hitting ports, helicopter bases, and supplies. This buildup is occurring at a time when US ammunition stocks have significantly decreased since President Donald Trump's decision to join Israel and bomb Iran.
