Nuclear submarine docks in Busan for show-and-tell

In a change from previous policy, the United States is opening up one of its advanced nuclear submarines in Korea for the general public and the media, the Joongang Ilbo reported Tuesday.

Although submarines themselves are nothing new, this is the first time that the U. S. military has opened up on their state-of-the-art military technology. The USS Texas (SSN-775), commissioned in September 2006, is a Virginia-class submarine which cost $1.8 billion to build. The vessel is bristling with high-tech armament including Tomahawk cruise missiles, capable of targeting an object up to 1,600 kilometers away.

The unveiling of military technology is speculated to have been spurred by perceived growing threats from both China and North Korea. The Chinese navy is currently working on their first aircraft carrier, while North Korea has recently unsettled its southern neighbor with a series of belligerent attacks.

“Last year’s Cheonan incident and the Yeongpyeong-do bombing seems to have changed the U.S. Navy’s point of view,” said Kim Byung-gee, editor for the Defense Times. “The revealing of the nuclear submarine is likely a way to show off the power of the U.S. Navy in the Pacific region,” he said.

The U.S. Navy invited domestic media onboard the craft on July 9 with a question-and-answer session as well as divulging its mission in the Korean Peninsula. The submarine will dock at the Busan Naval Base at least three times this year, the Navy said.