Publicly the US Naval Forces Korea called the sub’s visit to the region “routine” and said the scheduled port call was a chance to highlight the alliance between the US and South Korean navies, but quietly officials told CNN that the timing is not a coincidence. If the US really is considering a submarine launched cruise missile strike against North Korea, then US attack submarines such as the Seawolf and Virginia classes equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles would seem a far more obvious and logical platform from which to launch it.
The USS Michigan docks at Busan, South Korea, amid growing concerns over North Korean weapons development.