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www.sea-technology.com November 2016 / st 65 war cannot be overstated. We currently execute sea-based strategic deterrence with 14 Ohio-class SSBNs. The OR- class will meet the same mission re- quirements with only 12 submarines; a reduction saving taxpayers $40 billion in life cycle costs and is made possible by a life-of-ship reactor core that re- duces the span of the mid-life overhaul period. A 12-ship, 16-missile tube OR SSBN force has sufficient flexibility and capacity and satisfies USSTRATCOM requirements. Additionally, the OR-class is lever- aging mature technologies from Ohio- and Virginia-class submarines, includ- ing the TRIDENT II (D5) Life-Extended Strategic Weapons System (SWS). The TRIDENT II (D5) missile carried by cur- rent Ohio-class SSBNs is tested several times annually and has an impeccable record. The demonstrated success of our SSBNs and their missiles is readily known by potential adversaries and is integral to the effectiveness of our stra- tegic deterrent. To outpace future threats, the OR design will also feature advanced tech- nologies to remain survivable into the 2080s. OR will be the quietest subma- rine ever developed when it goes to sea in 2030, integrating an electric-drive propulsion train with other advanced acoustic-quieting technologies, includ- ing quieter internal machinery and ad- vanced hull coatings. The nation is at the point where we can no longer wait to replace the Ohio- class. This is a responsibility that comes along every other generation, and, at about the same relative cost as previ- ous SSBNs, it is affordable and simply a matter of priority. The last 70-plus years free of nuclear and major power war have lasted lon- ger than the Cold War, and the effec- tiveness of our deterrent remains iron- clad in the minds of our adversaries and allies. Every morning when I wake, I take solace in knowing that our brave sailors are patrolling in two oceans, always ready and keeping the peace among major powers in a complex geopolitical world. Strategic deterrence is foundational to our survival as a na- tion and is not something I take lightly. I urge you to do the same. ST ensure no country will ever threaten our survival. Potential adversaries are deterred because they know we will respond at the time and place of the U.S. president's choosing with credible, devastating combat power. Ohio-class SSBNs have been the backbone of our strategic deterrent force since commissioning in the early 1980s. Ohio-class submarines carry more than half the accountable war- heads in the U.S. strategic inventory. This percentage will increase to ap- proximately 70 percent as New Stra- tegic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) limits are reached in 2018. Submarines, like any other machine, have a limited life span. The Navy will begin to retire Ohio-class SSBNs at a rate of one hull per year in 2027, when the USS Henry M. Jackson reaches the end of its 42-year lifespan. The Ohio- class service life has already been ex- tended from 30 to 42 years (a remark- able 40 percent increase from the original design), but prudent engineer- ing practices prevent further extension without incurring unacceptable risk to personnel and the mission. This service life extension allowed a delay in the requirement to recapitalize the SSBN force. As with any machine, there are known and unknown challenges the Ohio SSBN fleet will encounter in or- der to continue meeting U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) require- ments until Ohio Replacement (OR) SSBNs come online in the 2030s. The Navy fully appreciates these challenges and has initiatives in place to ensure Ohio SSBN performance at end-of-life maintains certain standards. This is not the first time the nation has recapitalized the submarine leg of our strategic deterrent. In the 1970's and1980's we built 18 Ohio-class ves- sels, replacing the original "41 for Free- dom" class of SSBNs, for just under one percent of the Department of Defense budget. To build the OR-class SSBN, the same relative cost to the taxpayer will be required. A small price to pay considering the last large-scale, major power war (WWII) saw more than a million people die every month for 4.5 years. The role that our nuclear deter- rent plays in preventing major power RAdm. Charles "Chas" Richard is the director of the Under- sea Warfare Division (N97) in Washington, D.C., and is respon- sible for the planning, programming and budgeting for acquisition, operational readi- ness and modernization of the submarine force. A career submarine officer, he has been nominated to become the next deputy commander of U.S. Strategic Command. I n "The Art of War" Sun Tzu says: "To fight and conquer in all battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excel- lence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting." Not all Americans realize the im- portance of nuclear deterrence to their security and prosperity—and ultimate- ly to our nation's survival. At least one country poses a significant threat to the U.S. and can destroy our country with- in hours. Several others pose similar threats to our allies and possess suffi- cient nuclear forces to disrupt severely our way of life. A frequently stated yet incorrect no- tion is that nuclear weapons are never used; while they may not have been fired recently in war, we do employ all legs of the nuclear triad to deter adver- saries and assure allies every day. It's easy to take for granted that this daily commitment to the nuclear mission is what has helped our nation enjoy 70- plus years free from nuclear war and eliminated major power war as a way for countries to resolve political dif- ferences. The ultimate importance of deterrence is why maintaining and modernizing the Sea-Based Strategic Deterrent (SBSD) is the Navy's highest priority. All three legs of the nuclear triad are important and provide unique capa- bilities necessary to deter attacks on the U.S. Land-based intercontinental bal- listic missiles (ICBMs) provide a prompt response capability; bombers provide flexibility and signaling; and ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) provide survivability. SSBNs have completed more than 4,000 patrols in two oceans nonstop over the last 60-plus years. On patrol for months at a time, our SSBNs soap box Strategic Deterrence: Foundational to Our National Survival—Charles Richard