In a report on November 20, Wall Street** noted that China is rapidly closing a significant gap between its two militaries. For a long time, the United States was not overly concerned about Chinese submarines, which are often noisy and easy to detect. But today, that is changing as China advances in submarine technology and underwater reconnaissance capabilities.
The report mentions that China has increased its ability to detect enemy submarines by increasing patrol aircraft and collecting sonar information from sea buoys. In addition, China has expanded its surface fleet, which is larger than that of the United States, but relatively small and less technologically advanced. Against this background, the United States was forced to intensify its military activities in the Western Pacific, deepening coordination and training with its allies.
Military experts say China's recent advances in underwater sensor networks have made it impossible for U.S. submarines to rely on stealth capabilities to avoid the risk of detection in places like the South China Sea. Although the latest American Virginia-class attack submarines and the planned Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines are ahead of China in some respects, the adversary's progress still raises concerns about American underwater power.
Some former U.S. Navy officers have pointed out that the United States needs to adopt a new underwater strategy to meet a more formidable adversary. Not only that, but the lack of long-term presence of American anti-submarine patrol aircraft in the Asia-Pacific region is also considered an obstacle, since the constant tracking of enemy submarines requires the possession of corresponding resources.
Finally, the article mentions the current challenges facing the US Navy, including the reduction in the number of attack submarines and the need to strengthen its presence in the Pacific region. Although the United States has already begun to deploy more submarines to the Asia-Pacific region, this is still not enough for future needs.