The USS Georgia is getting into the fight in the Middle East. The Ohio-class nuclear-powered submarine is an experienced boat with many significant deployments over the last few decades. The Georgia recently blasted Houthi positions in Yemen on October 4. At least 15 targets were hit by Tomahawk cruise missiles.
Houthi-affiliated media sources revealed the strikes hit an “airport in the major port city of Hodeida, the Katheib area, which is home to a Houthi-controlled military base, the capital Sanaa and the Dhamar province.”
What Are These Houthis Up to Now?
These positions held Houthi weapons and ammunition, and the strikes were designed to erode the effectiveness of the Iranian-backed insurgents. These pesky fighters have caused excessive trouble in the region by attacking maritime shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and launching missiles at Israel.
Enter USS Georgia
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin knew the firepower of the USS Georgia could bring the noise against the Houthis in Yemen. He ordered Georgia to enter the area of operations in September, and it will continue to attack the Houthi’s defense infrastructure in the coming months.
Historic Boat Is Always Ready for a Fight
The USS Georgia is not new to combat. Its keel was laid in 1979, and it was launched in 1982. The Georgia has one nuclear reactor and one shaft which helps the boat achieve a top speed of 20+ knots. The Georgia is 560 feet long and displaces 18,750 tons. There are 15 officers on board with an additional 150 enlisted sailors. The Georgia carries 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles in four tubes.
Working with Force Recon Marines and SEALs
Before its mission to fight the Houthis, Georgia was traversing the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. One job was integrating Force Reconnaissance Marines from the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion and Navy SEALs. This is an interesting use of Navy and Marine special operations forces who can conduct missions such as maritime demolitions of ports and harbors, scouting and reconnaissance missions to prep landing areas in amphibious attacks, and gather intelligence data on enemy shipping.
The Marines launched and recovered small boats aboard the USS Georgia while conventional sailors oriented themselves with traditional SEAL missions. This is a departure for both teams of special operations forces, which have been dedicated to the Global War on Terror in land warfare missions. The SEALs and Recon Marines are now going back to the basics of maritime warfare, and the USS Georgia is playing an important role in these training missions.
Can Georgia Help Win the Fight Against the Houthis?
But now Georgia has to focus on the Houthis. This is shaping up to be a “whack-a-mole” fight in which the United States launches cruise missiles from subs and precision-guided munitions from fighter jets at the terrorists. The U.S. forces “mow the grass,” and then the Houthis come out of hiding and resume launching their own missiles. This is not a sustainable set of mission tactics, operational art, or strategy.
The Larger Picture
With the war in Ukraine and the war in Gaza and Lebanon, Yemen is often out of the news. But the Houthis don’t seem to give up. Iran is likely very happy about their terror campaign against cargo shipping. It opened up another front in the Middle East that required the United States to deploy scarce resources that it could instead employ to focus on the dangerous Indo-Pacific.
USS Georgia Is a Tool at the Presidential Level
However, the USS Georgia is answering the call, and the officers and enlisted sailors are doing their jobs to the best of their ability. It will be up to a new president to deal with Yemen. The country did not come up in discussion during the last presidential debate. However, the Middle East always seems to waylay U.S. commanders in chief going back to the Iranian Hostage Crisis of 1979 and the Marine barracks bombing in Lebanon in 1983. These two events tore into the presidency of Jimmy Carter (who played a large role in launching the USS Georgia) and Ronald Reagan, who underestimated the role that terrorism can play in military strategy and foreign policy.
Submarines, whether fast attack boats like the Georgia or nuclear-weapon-equipped boomers, can be strategic vessels that the higher echelons of the U.S. military use to advance American national interests. Georgia is part of this equation.
However, it remains to be seen how effective flights of Tomahawk missiles can be against determined insurgents. No matter how well USS Georgia mows the grass, the Houthis are bound to rise up and keep fighting.
About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare, plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
Images are of various Ohio-Class SSGN submarines from the U.S. Navy.