President Trump, in an unprecedented move, recently repositioned nuclear submarines in "appropriate regions" following a comment by former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, declaring that Trump's ultimatum "is a threat and a step towards war."
Trump's playing the ultimatum game with Russia: 50 days or 10… He should remember 2 things:
— Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) July 28, 2025
1. Russia isn't Israel or even Iran.
2. Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country. Don't go down the Sleepy Joe road!
Defense experts have weighed in on the move, as traditionally, patriot missile batteries, aircraft carriers, and B-52 bombers are repositioned when American Presidents wish to flex military might. As Gene Moran, a former Navy captain and Pentagon strategic advisor, told Fox News Digital, "Submarine deployments are unverifiable. That’s what gives them strategic value, but also what makes this announcement clever — if you're aiming for a headline."
Vice Admiral Mike Connor, former commander of U.S. submarine forces and CEO of ThayerMahan, said that President Trump's move is not as bold as people have made it out to be.
He didn’t really give away too much. It’s generally understood, by our potential adversaries, that our submarines are out there, have been out there for 60-plus years, and are able to strike pretty much where they want, when they want, if needed.
"It’s a more gentle message done this way. It’s not really in your face. It’s just a reminder of what already exists," Connor continued.
Moran told Fox News that Trump may have simply aligned a routine rotation with his announcement of the repositioning.
"It doesn’t cost anything. But if you do it repeatedly, it begins to reveal where your thresholds are. That has long-term consequences," he said.
Matthew Shoemaker, a former defense intelligence official, said that the President is simply trying to send a message, not necessarily position the U.S. Navy to achieve a military objective.
"It’s certainly unusual to announce it from an operational perspective. Which means this is primarily about sending a message to the Russians rather than trying to achieve a military goal," he said.
However, Bryan Clark, a retired submarine officer and director of the Hudson Institute think tank’s Center for Defense Concepts and Technology, said the move does put pressure on Russia to come to the negotiating table.
We have used very sparingly submarines to try to influence adversary behavior before, but this is pretty unusual, to do it against a nuclear-powered adversary like Russia in response to a nuclear threat by Russia. So I think this is trying to essentially push back on Russia's frequent and long-standing threats to use nuclear weapons in part of the Ukraine conflict.
Lately, the President’s patience with Putin has worn thin. Despite warnings from Trump and his team, Putin keeps brushing them off, talking about peace while continuing his war in Ukraine.
Editor's Note: President Trump is leading America into the "Golden Age" as Democrats try desperately to stop it.
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