241126-N-VC599-1088

Capt. Neil Steinhagen, right, commander of Submarine Squadron 15, greets Cmdr. Isaac Pelt, commanding officer of the Virginia-class fast attack submarine USS Minnesota (SSN 783), during the ship's arrival at U.S. Naval Base Guam, Nov 26, 2024. Minnesota, the first Virginia-class fast-attack submarine to be forward deployed to Guam, joins four Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarines forward deployed in the Pacific. Regarded as apex predators of the sea, Guam's fast-attack submarines serve at the tip of the spear, helping to reaffirm the submarine forces' forward-deployed presence in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Justin Wolpert)