Joe Biden commissions USS Delaware nuclear submarine to boost US security

Over the weekend, US President Joe Biden announced his commissioning of the USS Delaware nuclear submarine. In his remarks, Biden said the new submarine would boost the country’s security.

Biden announced Saturday that he commissioned the USS Delaware nuclear submarine. In remarks in a restricted part of a dock in Wilmington, Biden said that the submarine would be able to boost national security but made no mention of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

“As commander in chief, I believe it is our sacred obligation as a nation to prepare and equip those troops that we send into harm’s way and to care for them and their families when they return home,” said Biden in his remarks announcing the new submarine.

The Pentagon said in a statement that the USS Delaware is the seventh ship named after the state and the first time in a century that the Delaware name was used for a Navy ship. The submarine is the 18th Virginia-class fast attack submarine designed to seek and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships and can fire Tomahawk cruise missiles, according to the Navy.

First Lady Dr. Jill Biden is the USS Delaware’s sponsor; a role that is meant to bring luck to the ship. Dr. Biden also delivered remarks at the event.

The commissioning of the USS Delaware over the weekend also comes in the midst of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine as Russia continues its offensive. Biden also recently announced a new budget proposal that would allocate $795 billion on defense, increasing the budget of the Pentagon.

The amount has been criticized by both parties, with Republicans not satisfied with the amount while Progressive Democrats have argued that the amount is too much, especially since the withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.

In other news, Biden has privately expressed frustration in the midst of the ongoing probe into his immediate predecessor’s attempt to overturn the 2020 elections and the Capitol insurrection, according to a report by the New York Times over the weekend.

Biden said that former President Donald Trump should be prosecuted over the insurrection, describing Trump as a “threat to democracy,” according to people with knowledge of the conversation.

Biden has also reportedly expressed frustration with his DOJ Attorney General Merrick Garland, who is facing growing pressure to investigate and prosecute the individuals involved.