Photos Show US Submarine Loading Cruise Missiles at Frontline Pacific Base
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A United States nuclear-powered submarine was armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles while in Guam—a strategic hub in the western Pacific that can project military power against China.
Newsweek has reached out to the Chinese Defense Ministry for comment via email.
Why It Matters
Guam is America's westernmost territory and is home to several U.S. military bases. The island is approximately 1,800 miles from the coast of China, making it a staging area for projecting U.S. military power—albeit within range of Chinese intermediate-range missiles.
The U.S. Navy has homeported five nuclear-powered fast-attack submarines at Naval Base Guam—one newer Virginia-class and four older Los Angeles-class—since last November, a move seen as a response to China's growing naval presence in the broader western Pacific.
What To Know
In a set of photos released on Monday, U.S. Navy sailors are seen loading Tomahawk missiles onto the Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Jefferson City on May 6 at Naval Base Guam. The submarine is assigned to the Submarine Squadron 15, based in Guam.
United States Navy sailors load Tomahawk cruise missiles onto the Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Jefferson City at Naval Base Guam on May 6, 2025.
United States Navy sailors load Tomahawk cruise missiles onto the Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Jefferson City at Naval Base Guam on May 6, 2025.
Lt. James Caliva/U.S. Navy
"Renowned for their unparalleled speed, endurance, stealth, and mobility, fast-attack submarines serve as the backbone of the Navy's submarine force, ensuring readiness and agility in safeguarding maritime interests around the world," the Navy said.
Each Los Angeles-class submarine is equipped with 12 vertical launch tubes for firing Tomahawk missiles, according to the U.S. Navy. These missiles have a flight range of 1,000 miles and are capable of striking ground targets in "heavily defended airspace."
During recent U.S. strikes on three nuclear sites in Iran, over two dozen Tomahawk missiles were launched from a U.S. submarine, targeting two of the sites. These missiles were part of approximately 75 precision-guided weapons employed during the operation.
It remains unclear whether the missile-loading operation was part of the Jefferson City's preparation for deployment in the western Pacific. In 2023, the submarine completed what the U.S. Navy described as a "routine five-month deployment" in the Indo-Pacific region.
United States Navy sailors load Tomahawk cruise missiles onto the submarine USS Jefferson City at Naval Base Guam on May 6, 2025.
United States Navy sailors load Tomahawk cruise missiles onto the submarine USS Jefferson City at Naval Base Guam on May 6, 2025.
Lt. James Caliva/U.S. Navy
Other U.S. submarines have previously rearmed with Tomahawk cruise missiles while in Guam, including the Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Florida, which conducted an expeditionary reload in July 2024. The submarine can carry up to 154 cruise missiles.
What People Are Saying
U.S. Submarine Squadron 15 said in a Facebook post on Tuesday: "Jefferson City exemplifies fleet readiness—operating forward-deployed at the tip of the spear and delivering agile, undersea power in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific. Living up to its motto, 'When Any Exigence Calls,' the crew continues to demonstrate precision, presence, and undersea dominance where it matters most."
The U.S. Naval Air Systems Command commented: "Tomahawk provides on-scene commanders with the flexibility to attack long-range fixed targets or support Special Operations Forces with a lethal, responsive, precision weapon system and as such has become the weapon of choice for the U.S. Department of Defense."
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen whether the U.S. will further increase the number of submarines based in Guam for forward deployment in the western Pacific.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Axios
37 minutes ago
- Axios
Hobbs had bipartisan wins in 2025, but fell short on some goals
Gov. Katie Hobbs is touting some big bipartisan wins, but has unfinished business in the wake of the 2025 legislative session. The big picture: Now in her third year as governor, Hobbs sat down with Axios last week to discuss the legislative session, saying, "We got a lot of big things done." She touted achievements like funding for developmental disabilities services and a hard-fought bipartisan budget deal, as well as: Ag-to-urban: The legislation allows farmers to sell agricultural water rights to housing developers in the Phoenix area and Pinal County, opening the door for more housing in fast-growing Buckeye and Queen Creek affected by Hobbs' 2023 moratorium on groundwater certifications for new subdivisions. Hobbs said it might be the most significant groundwater legislation in Arizona since 1980. Axon: After opponents of the Taser-maker's proposed Scottsdale headquarters referred a zoning change to the ballot over planned apartment units, Hobbs signed legislation cancelling the election, ending a potential risk of the company relocating out of state. Diamondbacks: A drawn-out fight over public funding for improvements to Chase Field ended with a bipartisan agreement to provide $500 million in tax revenue generated by the Diamondbacks, and penalizing the team if it leaves before 2050. Hobbs disputed critics' characterization of the bill as a taxpayer giveaway to the team, saying it's mutually beneficial for the Diamondbacks to remain in Phoenix. Yes, but: The governor fell short on some noteworthy agenda items in her State of the State address. She called on lawmakers to expand Arizona's low-income housing tax credit, but the Legislature failed to renew it. Arizona will become the first state to abolish such a program in December. Lawmakers didn't support her proposed public-private partnership in which the state and private businesses would help pay for employee child care, though she said other changes would significantly cut the state's low-income child care waitlist. The intrigue: With her reelection looming in 2026, the Democrat took steps that could endear her to Arizona's Republican-leaning electorate. After vetoing legislation supported mostly by Republicans to restrict the Chinese government from owning land in Arizona, Hobbs pushed an alternative that passed on a bipartisan vote. Hobbs signed bipartisan legislation requiring pornography websites to verify users' ages, similar to a bill she vetoed last year. Hobbs said she heard from parents who were concerned about what their children could access online, telling Axios, "This is the right balance to protect them." What she's saying: "I'm always focused on doing what's right for Arizonans. That can sometimes look political, and there are political ramifications of every action that an elected official takes," Hobbs said. Between the lines: Hobbs broke the single-session veto record (143) she set two years ago, rejecting 174 bills. That says a lot about the Republican-controlled Legislature's propensity for sending her bills she's already vetoed, she said. "I will continue to be a backstop when legislators are trying to impose extreme ideology on Arizonans," Hobbs told Axios, citing issues like voting and access to reproductive health.
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
Stay or go? For some transgender San Diego sailors and Marines, Trump's ban leaves one option: ‘Come and find me'
Saddie Kolterman imagines she's on a sinking ship. The room she's in is slowly filling with water. She can see a window to escape, but it's just out of reach. Even if she does get out, she has no idea what she'll find beyond - an island, or just an expanse of open ocean. For the 26-year-old, life in the U.S. military is all she has ever known. Now, the Trump administration's ban on transgender troops from the military is leaving her adrift - an apt analogy for the U.S. Navy air control officer. "I grew up in a military family. I grew up all around it … and I had a desire to do that," Kolterman said. "If you were to sit down and ask me, 'When you get out of the service, what's your plan?' I have no idea. I don't have a dream." Service members like Kolterman who call San Diego home are thinking about what life will look like after the military - an institution they have built their lives around, and that is now forcing them to leave. Collectively, they have decades of experience, ascending to some of the highest ranks of the service, and they aren't leaving due to misconduct. But under President Donald Trump's executive order, "Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness," they are no longer seen as fit to serve. "The emotion is one of betrayal," said Veronica Zerrer, an Army veteran who serves on the California Veterans Board and co-chairs the San Diego LGBT Community Center's Veterans Wall of Honor. "They feel betrayed by their commands, by their country." For months, uncertainty has swirled around the policy and how it would be fully implemented. And some service members wonder how San Diego's own military community will be impacted, especially if members end up leaving the region when they leave the service. The policy was enacted by executive order in January, then temporarily blocked by a federal court in March. But in May the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the ban to take effect while legal challenges proceed. The Trump administration told transgender troops that they could voluntarily leave the service with an honorable discharge and additional separation pay, or wait to be forced to leave, with unclear repercussions. "Expressing a false 'gender identity' divergent from an individual's sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service," its order read. It's unclear how many transgender people are actively serving. The U.S. Department of Defense estimates there are about 4,240 people with a diagnosis of gender dysphoria - around 0.2% of the 2 million service members. Not all transgender people have experienced gender dysphoria, and not all people with such a diagnosis are transgender. But the diagnosis is the military's best way of tracking the numbers of transgender people serving. Active duty troops had until June 6 to voluntarily separate, and National Guard and reserve members had until last Monday. But after dedicating their lives to the U.S. military, service members feel disrespected and see the move as part of the Trump administration's broader efforts to erase transgender people and their identities from across the federal government and beyond. "So much of the senior leadership doesn't want me there," said A., who works in the U.S. Navy's Nuclear Propulsion Program. She is choosing to stay in the Navy. The San Diego Union-Tribune is identifying her by an initial because she fears being identified and expelled by the service. "Even if an outright ban does not remain, there's still a lot of things that I think the political factions in the military leadership would try to change in order to make life more hostile towards trans people," she said. San Diego has one of the largest military communities in the country, but the Department of Defense did not respond to the Union-Tribune's questions about how it might staff positions left vacant once service members are forced to leave. Local resources for service members impacted by the policy are expanding, and the San Diego LGBT Community Center is working with the California Department of Veterans Affairs and San Diego Veterans Coalition to provide support to transgender service members exiting the service. As Ron Stark, the board president of the San Diego Veterans Coalition, sees it, that support could be the lifeline troops need to succeed in the transition into civilian life, where they could face trouble finding work and adjusting to new environments. "People who are connected fare better than those who are not," he said. 'No way out of this' Kolterman's commitment to the armed forces has outlasted two Trump bans, and brought a defiant return. She first enlisted in the Army - and was forced to leave - during the first Trump administration's ban on transgender troops in 2017. She waited four years to return to the service. Now she's been in the Navy for nearly three years, stationed in San Diego for the past two. She has chosen to stay in the Navy under Trump's ban, though she knows the military can easily identify transgender service members - senior leadership has access to all members' medical files to ensure they remain fit for service. The Defense Department has said service members who have ever been diagnosed with gender dysphoria will be identified through individual medical readiness programs, which may vary per branch. Kolterman is only working a couple days a week, on the far side of the base in a room by themselves. Her hours were reduced in case she had to go on administrative leave - a way for commanders to mitigate the impacts of the policy and buy time for affected service members. Sam Rodriguez is on administrative leave from the Navy and not working at all - but unlike Kolterman, they decided to take a voluntary separation from the service. The lieutenant junior grade and medical corps officer initially had good reason to stay: They had just been selected for a promotion from enlisted to officer last fall, and their commissioning was held in April. "I was going to dig in my heels and stick this out as long as I could," Rodriguez said. Rodriguez has a master's degree in social work, and the promotion would open the door to completing the hours needed to earn a clinical social work license. But with the Supreme Court's ruling in May clearing the way for Trump's ban to take effect, the orders for Rodriguez to transfer were canceled. "It really sent a very clear message to me that there's no way out of this," they said. "The end result is the same." Rodriguez now feels their decision to leave gives them some control over the situation. They requested a separation date this fall, though the Navy hasn't yet issued official separation dates. For others, such as A., choosing to stay is a point of practicality. Before she's forced out, the 29-year-old wants to finish a training course for nuclear trained officers in August - a course she says will make her more competitive for a job in nuclear energy after the military. Currently on sea command, stationed in part out at sea, she also wants to experience a shore command. She hopes to go to the Mariner Skills Training Center and learn to become an instructor for how to navigate ships safely. "There's a certain amount of personal pride in being able to say that I completed all of the things that I set out to do," A. said. 'They can come and find me' For Marine Corps Capt. Sye Savoie, staying is an act of resistance - especially since the ban is only the latest emotional blow as they reflect on their time in the service. Ten years ago, when Savoie went through rigorous six-week training with other young officers, they felt connected to the group, its character and fraternity. They felt like they belonged. But as the years went on, Savoie said they saw a darker side, describing a culture of White toxic masculinity. Women they knew experienced sexual assault and harassment, and they say they saw the number of women and people of color in the service around them dwindle. And even as Savoie rose in the ranks, they were never fully on the inside. "If I ever felt like I fit in in this organization, I really didn't," Savoie said. "That's been a hard pill to swallow, for something that's been wrapped in my identity for so long." Trump's ban is a cruel and targeted policy, Savoie says. They're choosing to remain in the service - opting for involuntary separation, whatever that will come to look like. "At this point, they can come and take it," they said. "They can come and find me, and they can tell me word for word why I'm not fit to do the job that I was selected so carefully from so few people to do." But for Savoie, there are already ominous signs of the reality of the policy taking shape. Their medical provider told them that their medical file has been marked, but it's unclear what that means. And a gender-affirming surgery they scheduled for the fall was canceled last month. Savoie is now desperately trying to contact their provider to see if there's a way to pay for it out of pocket. They're also worried about how the Department of Defense will categorize the separation of service members leaving involuntarily. Per Pentagon guidance, "officers will be processed for separation on the basis that their continued service is not clearly consistent with the interests of national security," using a code that could make it harder for them to get another job or security clearance for government work. A. also worries about this - especially since she hopes to continue working in nuclear energy after she is forced to leave the service. She expects the people who process security clearances would understand the nuances of how the code is being used. But she worries hiring managers might not, and might assume she couldn't hold a security clearance. "That would be, I think, a bigger problem, where there would be more potentially inadvertent discrimination against service members that are separated under this policy," she said. A plan forward Originally from Atlanta, Savoie wants to stay in California. They bought a house in Oceanside in 2023, but it's daunting to think about how they'll pay the mortgage once they are booted from the service. Kolterman expects to move back to Ohio, where her spouse lives, after she's separated from the Navy. There, she'll be glad to focus more on their relationship. Already, her service has been one of sacrifice for both of them. Kolterman isn't sure how she'll earn a living next. She's thinking about what she could do in Ohio with her sociology degree, or even with a social media following on Twitch, the livestreaming video game platform. And she's grown to love San Diego. She's involved in the cycling community and has volunteered with the Coronado Wine Festival and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, and she wonders how their local communities will change as other service members like them leave the city under Trump's ban. "I like to think that there's a mixing between the military culture and the San Diego culture," Kolterman said. "It's gonna be sad to lose a lot of that trust - to have a lot of those people have to pack up and go home." For their part, Rodriguez wants to continue doing advocacy work; they plan to move to Washington, D.C., in the fall with their wife and two young children. And they're helping fellow transgender service members navigate similar challenges of their own as member director at SPARTA Pride, an advocacy nonprofit for trans people in the military. "It's been really hurtful to see and to witness and to walk people through these situations," they said. Among the questions they're asking about what's next: How will the military fill all their soon-to-be-vacant jobs? Although numbers are rising, the U.S. military has struggled for years to reach its recruitment goals. And according to the U.S. Army Recruiting Command, more than 70% of American youths don't qualify for service due to health issues, drug use, misconduct or other problems. Meanwhile, decades of experience and millions of dollars have been invested in training the transgender members who are now being separated, Rodriguez points out. "The DoD cannot, one for one, replace us overnight," they said. "That's a lot of experience and education and value that they bring to the military that is now going to be lost." _____ Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
Iran and China Challenge US as Alliance Grows
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit alongside key partners including Russia, marking a significant moment in Tehran's growing alliance with Beijing following its recent conflict with Israel. The visit highlights a strategic alignment as China continues purchasing Iranian oil and transferring missile-related materials and air-defense systems to Tehran, while Russia's presence signals Moscow's shared interest in challenging U.S. influence in the region. Newsweek has reached out to State Department for comment. Iran's growing partnership with China after its recent conflict with Israel-and U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear targets- underscores Beijing's expanding influence in the Middle East. China's support provides Iran with crucial economic and military backing that stands to weaken U.S.-led sanctions and containment efforts. For Washington, this challenges American influence in a region vital to global energy and security. China's deepening involvement advances its strategic goals while complicating U.S. efforts to maintain dominance in the Middle East. Araghchi's visit to China provides Tehran with a high-profile platform to reframe its regional narrative and showcase its growing alignment with Beijing. Iran is expected to use this opportunity to advocate for broader security coordination among alliances and deepen its cooperation with Chinese leadership. Araghchi is set to hold talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and other leaders attending the SCO summit, including Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Following the ceasefire between Iran and Israel on June 24, multiple reports-including those from Middle East Eye and Israel Hayom-indicate that Iran has received Chinese-made surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems, paid for in oil. While China's embassy has formally denied any arms sales to nations "engaged in warfare, China has also made clear that it "sells the J-10 aircraft only to friendly countries," as Iran seeks to acquire these fighter jets amid delays in Russian arms deliveries, signaling Tehran's efforts to broaden its military partnerships. Founded in 2001, the SCO includes China, Russia, Iran, India, Pakistan and several Central Asian countries, serving as a platform for Beijing to deepen regional ties. For Iran, SCO membership offers greater diplomatic and economic engagement beyond Western institutions, helping Tehran bypass its current isolation. Last month, China hosted SCO defense ministers, underscoring its commitment to strengthening the bloc. Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson: "During this trip, in addition to participating in the meeting of foreign ministers and explaining our country's positions and views, the Foreign Minister will meet and discuss with the Chinese Foreign Minister and a number of other foreign ministers participating in the meeting," Bradley Bowman, senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies: "For Beijing, strategic ambiguity is a feature, not a flaw ... quietly enabling Iran's missile ambitions." Tehran is set to expand its strategic partnership with Beijing, solidifying economic ties and deepening military-technical cooperation. This growing alliance challenges U.S. influence across the Middle East, even as Washington steps up sanctions enforcement. Meanwhile, the U.S. is intensifying collaboration with Gulf and Israeli partners to adapt to the region's shifting power dynamics. Related Articles Satellite Images Show Damage From Iran Strike on US Air BaseIran Sets New Terms for Nuclear Talks With Official Issues New Warning About Iran's Nuclear Threat'Isolationist Voices' Might Have Lost Footing With Trump After Iran: Pence 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
