SSGNs spared fiscal year 2026 decommissionings

USS Ohio , shown here, operating off the coast of Guam, apparently will not be inactivated in FY 2026 as previously planned. (Janes/Michael Fabey)

Two Ohio-class guided-missile submarines (SSGNs) previously designated to be decommissioned in fiscal year (FY) 2026 apparently will not face that fate, US Navy (USN) officials familiar with USN submarine programmes recently confirmed to Janes.

Both USS Ohio (SSGN 726) – the first-of-class submarine for SSGNs and the strategic-ballistic submarines (SSBNs) – and USS Florida (SSGN 728) had been included on earlier lists of vessels marked for deactivation and decommissioning in FY 2026.

The FY 2026 USN budget proposal documents released in July still showed the submarines on that list.

However, the submarines were not on an internal USN memo accessed by Janes on 15 September on FY 2026 vessel inactivations and USN officials have confirmed it appears the SSGNs will not be inactivated during that fiscal year as initially planned.

US naval officials are beginning to develop a whole set of new operational concepts for the vessels with particular emphasis on SSGN attributes that favour missions associated with the special forces communities, those familiar with such operations told Janes.

At the same time, US combatant commanders have begun to count on the SSGN's unique ability to fire salvos of Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAMs), particularly in recent high-profile attacks.

Defence officials confirmed to Janes on 23 June that USS Georgia (SSGN 729) fired TLAMs during the 21 June attack on key Iranian nuclear facilities – including a fortified mountain facility at Fordow, a larger enrichment plant at Natanz, and the Esfahan uranium conversion facility – via a large aerial and sea-based strike package.

USN officials told Janes