US general visits nuclear-armed sub in Arabian Sea

The top U.S. military commander for the Middle East boarded a U.S. ballistic missile submarine in the Arabian Sea on Wednesday.

Gen. Erik Kurilla was shuttled out to the USS West Virginia and went aboard for about eight hours as the submarine rose to the surface in an undisclosed location in international waters in the sea.

The West Virginia is one of the Navy's Ohio Class, long-range submarines. They are stealthy and can launch nuclear missile strikes and are considered a key strategic deterrent. The U.S. seldom advertises the location of its nuclear-powered submarines. In a statement Wednesday, U.S. Central Command said Kurilla met with Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, on the submarine.