NEWPORT, R.I. –
The Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport welcomed Rear Adm. Lincoln Reifsteck, Commander of Submarine Group 7 (CSG7) and Task Forces 54 and 74 based in Yokosuka, Japan, on May 2.
"Our mission is peace through strength. To that end, we will sustain undersea warfighting readiness and continue to strive for seamless interoperability with our partner and allied forces," Reifsteck said. "The work done at NUWC is critical to our mission. It is delivering capabilities to our warfighters so they can maintain lethality and dominance in the undersea today and for years to come."
The tours and discussions with NUWC Division Newport personnel gave Reifsteck insight into the latest updates to and future warfighting tools at his disposal, while also providing warfare center employees with an understanding of emergent fleet needs. The visit included discussions on Division Newport’s advanced command and control efforts, platform interoperability, and near-term unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV) and unmanned effectors deliveries.
“He was here at the Naval War College for some briefs and other training, so we took the opportunity to invite him to NUWC,” Division Newport Commanding Officer Capt. Chad Hennings said about the visit. “The team did a great job of really tailoring the agenda to efforts Division Newport is doing in his area of responsibility. It was a very aggressive schedule, and we were able to execute it. The team did a great job of showing him what Division Newport is capable of and all the great work they do.”
CSG7 directs forward-deployed, combat-capable forces across the full spectrum of undersea warfare throughout the Western Pacific, Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea.
It also directs two forward-deployed submarine tenders, USS Frank Cable (AS 40) and USS Emory S. Land (AS 39), five surveillance towed array sensor system vessels and three oceanographic survey vessels when tasked for theater anti-submarine warfare operations. Five attack submarines homeported in Guam are under CSG7’s auspices.
CSG7 commands the operation of U.S. submarine forces (SSNs and SSGNs) and coordinates theatre-wide anti-submarine warfare matters.
Ohio-class guided-missile submarines (SSGNs) provide the Navy with unprecedented strike and special operation mission capabilities from a stealth, clandestine platform. Armed with tactical missiles and equipped with superior communications capabilities, SSGNs are capable of directly supporting Combatant Commander's strike and Special Operation Forces (SOF) requirements.
More information on SSGNs is available here: https://www.navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/Article/2169613/guided-missile-submarines-ssgn/
Attack submarines (SSNs) are designed to seek and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships; project power ashore with Tomahawk cruise missiles and SOFs; carry out intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions; support battle group operations; and engage in mine warfare.
With the number of foreign diesel-electric/air-independent propulsion submarines increasing, the U.S. Submarine Force relies on its technological superiority and the speed, endurance, mobility, stealth and payloads afforded by nuclear power to retain its preeminence in the undersea battlespace.
The Navy has three classes of SSNs in service. Los Angeles-class (SSN 688) submarines have been the backbone of the submarine force for the last 40 years, with approximately 23 now in commission. They are equipped with 12 Vertical Launch System (VLS) tubes for firing Tomahawk cruise missiles.
The Navy also has three Seawolf-class submarines. The first of the class, USS Seawolf (SSN 21) was commissioned July 19, 1997.
Instead of VLS, the Seawolf-class submarine has eight torpedo tubes and can hold up to 50 weapons in its torpedo room. The third ship of the class, USS Jimmy Carter (SSN 23), has a 100-foot hull extension called the multi-mission platform. This hull section provides for additional payloads to accommodate advanced technology used to carry out classified research and development and for enhanced warfighting capabilities.
The Navy continues to build the next-generation attack submarine (SSN(X)), the Virginia-class (SSN 774). To date, 23 Virginias have been commissioned, replacing Los Angeles-class submarines as they retire. The Virginia-class submarine has several innovations that significantly enhance its warfighting capabilities, including in littoral operations.
More information on SSNs, including the enhanced warfighting innovations of the Virginia-class, is available here: https://www.navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/Article/2169558/attack-submarines-ssn/
Reifsteck became the 51st commander of CSG7 on March 28, 2025. The group traces its history back to Capt. F.W. Scanland, who commanded Submarine Flotilla 7 from Sept.14, 1954, to Jan. 13, 1955.
More information on Reifsteck’s background is available here.
NUWC Newport is the oldest warfare center in the country, tracing its heritage to the Naval Torpedo Station established on Goat Island in Newport Harbor in 1869. Commanded by Capt. Chad Hennings, NUWC Newport maintains major detachments in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Andros Island in the Bahamas, as well as test facilities at Seneca Lake and Fisher's Island, New York, Leesburg, Florida, and Dodge Pond, Connecticut.