The Ohio is the first of a new class of submarine created in a conversion of 1970s vessels by trading nuclear-tipped ICBMs for conventional cruise missiles and a contingent of commandos ready to be launched onto virtually any shore through rejiggered missile tubes — against conventional forces or terrorists.
The sub's cruise across the Pacific comes as China builds its submarine fleet into the region's largest as part of the bulking up of its military.
The 154 cruise missiles that each of these submarines carry could probably cripple China's rickity electrical grid and really hamper the Chinese efforts to wage war on us.
So if the Chinese think of taking out our major strategic asset that supports our forces in war--our satellites--we could threaten to take out their major strategic asset--the civilian electrical grid that supplies their military with power.
