NAVAL BASE POINT LOMA, Calif. (NNS) -- USS Albuquerque (SSN 706) completed her change of homeport Aug. 6, transiting from Groton, Conn., to Naval Base Point Loma; since her commissioning in 1982, Albuquerque has been homeported on the East Coast.
The Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine moved to San Diego to maintain 60 percent of the Navy's submarine force in the Pacific as part of the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review redistribution plan.
U.S. interests will continue to require a global presence, according to Capt. Brett Genoble, commander, Submarine Squadron 11.
"Moving capable assets like Albuquerque to the Pacific coast enhances the U.S. Navy's flexibility in supporting our maritime strategy," said Genoble.
This strategy reaffirms the use of seapower to influence actions and activities at sea and ashore. The sea is a vast maneuver space where the presence of maritime forces can be adjusted as conditions dictate to enable flexible approaches to conflict escalation, de-escalation and deterrence.
Albuquerque, like her sister submarines, provides a combination of stealth, firepower and forward presence, which can help a joint force to gain access in the early stages of a contingency or campaign, explained Cmdr. Michael Badorf, commanding officer of Albuquerque.
"Having Albuquerque join the Pacific fleet greatly strengthens our ability to provide the right assets, at the right time, anywhere," said Badorf.
The submarine force provides approximately one-third of the nation's warships but uses only about seven percent of the people and about 10 percent of the budget to achieve this effect. Submarines require no vulnerable underway logistics chain nor depend on mutual defense from other platforms for survivability.
Albuquerque will join five other Los Angeles-class nuclear powered submarines, three torpedo weapon retrieval boats and a floating dry dock homeported in Naval Base Point Loma as part of Submarine Squadron 11. The squadron staff is responsible for providing training, material, personnel readiness support for all units.
The sub's arrival brings approximately 140 crew members to the area, and half of the crew's families have already moved to San Diego.
