Fewer Boomers. Fewer Tubes. More Adversaries.

The United States will soon carry out the largest reduction in sea-based strategic launch capacity in its history—at precisely the moment the threat demands more. The November 2024 unclassified nuclear employment strategy report—submitted under 10 U.S.C. §491 and known as the 491 Report—now directs the joint force to “deter Russia, the PRC, and [North Korea] simultaneously in peacetime, crisis, and conflict.The Navy built 14 Ohio-class SSBNs with 24 missile tubes apiece—336 tubes of design capacity, of which 20 per boat remain operational after New START conversion. Twelve Columbias will carry 16 tubes apiece, netting 192 tubes.20 The transition surrenders 43...