The US Ambassador to Cyprus, Julie Fisher, said in a post on the X platform that she welcomes the officers and crew of the USS Indiana to Limassol.

The Indiana submarine is the sixteenth Virginia-class submarine and the sixth in the Virginia class of the Block III series. Its construction was started in 2012.

Virginia-class submarines can be used in coastal and deep-sea areas of the world to conduct anti-submarine warfare, destroy surface ships, launch strikes, support special operations forces, conduct surveillance and reconnaissance, and perform mine warfare tasks.

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 allow them to perform five of the six main functions of a naval strategy — control of the sea, force projection, forward presence, maritime security, and deterrence.

It is worth noting that the visit to the nuclear submarine caused outrage among the opposition Akel party, which accused the government of dragging Cyprus into extremely heightened tensions by agreeing to the “continued concentration of foreign military forces on our island.”

Government representatives 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.

A source: cyprus-mail.com

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