USSTRATCOM Tours Pacific Northwest Strategic Deterrent Force

Petty Officer 1st Class Andrea Perez, Submarine Group Nine, September 2

SILVERDALE, Wash. -- Adm. Charles Richard, Commander, U.S. Strategic Command, visited Commander, Submarine Group 9 and other strategic-deterrent units in the Pacific Northwest, Sept. 1.

Upon visiting Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, Richard met with a limited number of Sailors at Deterrent Park, where he spoke about how the SSBN mission is foundational to the mission of the Department of Defense.

“I am very proud of what you do here in Bangor. Your ability to improvise, adapt and overcome… your ability to maintain your mission readiness is vital,” said Richard. “I’m proud in general that STRATCOM was able to stay fully mission capable all throughout this unprecedented global pandemic. A lot of that credit goes to you all as far as your ability to adjust and adapt… it is recognized throughout the chain of command. You are the one thing we can count on when it comes to strategic deterrence.”

Richard also visited Trident Training Facility Bangor; Maritime Force Protection Unit Bangor; Strategic Weapons Facility, Pacific; and the Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine USS Henry M. Jackson (SSBN 730).

“Our Sailors are incredibly proud of the work we do supporting our nation's most important mission: strategic deterrence,” said USS Henry M. Jackson Commanding Officer Cmdr. Nathan Luther. ‘It was a real privilege to be able to host Adm. Richard and allow him to see how well our Sailors are working to maximize the ship’s warfighting readiness and capability. His presence and interactions with our crew drove home the importance of the work we do every day and made us more excited than ever to get back out to sea, so we can do what we do best.”

Following his tour of facilities onboard Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, Richard headed to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard to tour the Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine USS Louisiana (SSBN 743).

“It was an absolute pleasure to host the Commander, U.S. Strategic Command, and demonstrate the exceptional teaming occurring on board USS Louisiana,” said Cmdr. Lester Patterson, commanding officer, USS Louisiana. “Between Puget Sound Naval Ship Yard and my crew, we continue to meet or exceed milestone deadlines in the overhaul of Louisiana, excelling even in light of COVID-19 mitigation efforts. I specifically enjoyed showing off the hard work our Sailors and their civilian counterparts are doing each day to prepare Louisiana for her return to strategic service.”

U.S. Strategic Command prioritizes and provides strategic deterrence and decisive responses through a resilient, equipped and trained combat-ready force. The global warfighting combatant command’s mission is to deter strategic attack and employ forces, as directed, to guarantee the security of the U.S. and its allies.

Subordinate to Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Submarine Group 9 exercises administrative command and control authority for assigned submarine commands and units in the Pacific Northwest. Subordinate commands include Naval Submarine Support Center Bangor, and Submarine Squadrons 17 and 19.