On December 31, Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides will visit the nuclear attack submarine USS Indiana, which is moored in Limassol for the New Year.
US Ambassador to Cyprus Julie Fisher said in a post on Platform X that she welcomes the officers and crew of the USS Indiana to Limassol.
The Indiana is the sixteenth Virginia-class submarine and the sixth Virginia-class Block III submarine. Its construction began in 2012.
Virginia-class submarines can be used in coastal and deep-sea environments around the world for anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, strike, support for special operations forces, surveillance and reconnaissance, and mine warfare missions.
The boat carries twelve Tomahawk cruise missiles and twenty-six torpedoes.
According to the US Department of Defense, the inherent stealth, endurance, mobility and firepower of Virginia-class submarines enable them to perform five of the six core functions of maritime strategy - sea control, power projection, forward presence, maritime security and deterrence.
It is worth noting that the visit to the nuclear submarine caused outrage among the opposition party Akel, which accused the government of dragging Cyprus into extremely escalated tensions by agreeing to the “continued concentration of foreign military forces on our island.”
Government officials stressed that the recent deployment of ships and aircraft to Cyprus is part of the island's humanitarian role in light of developments in the region.
Source: cyprus-mail.com
