The USS Helena, a fast-attack nuclear submarine, recently surfaced in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, following the arrival of Russian naval forces in Havana for drills with the Cuban government. The US Southern Command confirmed that the USS Helena's presence in Guantanamo Bay is part of a routine port visit as it transits the US Southern Command's geographic area of responsibility while carrying out its global maritime security and national defense mission.
Navy submarines' specific movements are typically classified and not publicly disclosed. Despite the Russian flotilla being just 90 miles off the coast of Florida, the Pentagon has emphasized that it does not pose a threat to US security. Navy destroyers and P-8 submarine-hunting aircraft have been monitoring the Russian ships as they navigate south along the east coast of the United States.
Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh stated that the US has been aware of the Russians' plans for the drills and port calls, considering them routine naval visits that have occurred under various administrations. Singh reiterated that foreign vessels operating near US territorial waters are continuously monitored, emphasizing that while taken seriously, the exercises do not present a threat to the United States.
The USS Helena, a Los Angeles-class fast-attack nuclear-powered submarine based in Norfolk, was first commissioned in the 1980s. It is specifically designed to surveil and respond to global threats. Last July, another Los Angeles-class submarine, the USS Pasadena, visited Guantanamo Bay, sparking concerns from the Cuban government, which viewed it as an escalation. The Pentagon noted that the current visit of a Russian submarine to Cuba may be partly in response to the US submarine visit last year.
