Overview
- An Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II escorted the Ohio-class submarine USS Nebraska while it was surfaced on July 28, and the Navy published the images through DVIDS on August 3.
- The Navy called the operation an "armed airborne escort exercise" and said the flight was meant to demonstrate joint force readiness to protect SSBNs.
- Armed airborne escorts provide short-term overwatch for a surfaced SSBN until it can submerge, offering active protection against threats such as small fast attack boats and uncrewed vessels.
- The use of an A-10 highlights the aircraft's growing maritime role even as plans to retire the type were constrained by Congress in the FY2026 NDAA and some squadrons were retained into the coming years.
- The public release of the photos underlines the Navy’s layered protection approach—combining support ships, attack-sub screens, and airborne assets—and could shape future planning for SSBN survivability and force posture.