Each of the two nuclear-powered submarines belonging to the US Navy has up to 20 Trident nuclear missiles on board: Two of these nuclear deterrent monsters will now patrol directly off Russia’s coastal waters – US President Donald Trump is thus responding to the threats of war made by Russia’s former president Dmitry Medvedev.

Before Donald Trump gave the order for the two nuclear submarines, the US president wrote on X: “In light of the highly provocative statements made by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, I have ordered the deployment of two nuclear submarines to the appropriate regions in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that. Words are very important and can often have unintended consequences. I hope this will not be one of those cases.”

Two vessels from the US Navy’s nuclear submarine fleet are now directly off the Russian coast, meaning that the warning time in the event of a launch of the Trident nuclear missiles on board – which will hopefully never happen – would be extremely short for major Russian cities.

Currently, the deterrent potential of the US submarine fleet consists of 63 submarines:

Attack submarines (SSNs): According to official figures, the fleet comprises approximately 49 nuclear attack submarines, including around 23 Los Angeles class, 3 Seawolf class and around 23 Virginia class. These SSNs are designed for versatile sensor, surveillance, and combat missions, including Tomahawk cruise missiles and special forces.

Strategic missile submarines (SSBNs): The Ohio class consists of 14 boats, each with a maximum of 20 Trident II D5 submarine-launched missiles (originally 24, reduced under the New START agreement), which provide nuclear deterrence.

There has been no response from the Kremlin to Trump’s X-message yet.

Credit: APA