In addition to aircraft carriers, strategic bombers and long-range missiles, submarines are also an extremely important component of the U.S. military's offensive means in the Indo-Pacific region. The official website of the submarine force of the US Navy's Pacific Fleet reads "We go where others can't", which is not just a slogan, but the mission of the submarine force. Today, the US military has the largest nuclear submarine fleet in the world, with about 70 nuclear submarines. These submarines are like wolves underwater, and they can pose a great threat to any country. And as the slogan suggests, when U.S. aircraft carriers and bombers struggle to get into China's periphery, submarines may be the most promising force to break through the impasse.
In order to seize the underwater superiority around China, the US military has long begun to actively prepare. In addition to continuing to develop the nuclear submarine fleet, they are also deploying various types of anti-submarine equipment and underwater reconnaissance equipment around China, and continue to strengthen the collection of intelligence in the western Pacific waters. Such a strategic move allows the U.S. military to gain a deeper understanding of the underwater environment around China. According to a report earlier this year, the United States is restarting the Cold War-era Integrated Underwater Surveillance System (IUSS) for monitoring Soviet submarines and transferring it to the detection of Chinese submarines. The predecessor of the IUSS dates back to the sonar listening system (SOSUS) in the 50s of the last century, which was originally created to protect US military facilities from enemy submarine attacks. As the Soviet submarine threat expanded, so did the SOSUS deployment, most notably the GIU**, also known as the GIUK Gap, which connected Greenland, Iceland and the United Kingdom. The United States laid out a series of submarine passive sonar detection systems on this gap, forming a line of defense to block the entry of Soviet submarines into the North Atlantic. During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union engaged in a relentless struggle to close the GIUK gap and to break through it. It was only after the collapse of the USSR that the existence of SOSUS was made public, and it became known that there was a silent contest in the water of the North Atlantic.
Now it seems that the US military is prepared to use Cold War-style underwater facilities in the western Pacific to contain Chinese submarines in accordance with the experience of those years. The U.S. military has a natural advantage in building a similar underwater listening line in the Indo-Pacific region, and the entire first island chain provides very good deployment conditions. Along the first island chain, it can be divided into five sections, including the Tsushima Strait between Japan and South Korea, the sea area between the Philippines and Malaysia, and the northern part of Sumatra to the Andaman Islands. In these areas, the US military has deployed anti-submarine equipment and is assisted by countries such as Japan, South Korea, Australia and the Philippines. These devices almost blocked the passage of Chinese submarines in and out of the western Pacific. In addition to the sonar systems above and below the water, the US military and its allies are also able to fully perceive the underwater situation by using air, space, and land all-domain detection methods, posing a huge challenge to the PLA's submarines.
In fact, the purpose of deploying these devices around China may not only be for the purpose of containing Chinese submarines, but also to help provide battlefield situational awareness support for its own submarine forces, so that US submarines can better operate in China's periphery. This poses a challenge to the free movement of China's submarine forces and the PLA submarine forces. The PLA not only needs to improve the technical and tactical level of submarines, but also needs to actively strengthen its underwater deployment in the western Pacific Ocean and enhance its countermeasures against US submarines in a targeted manner. Now that the US military has provoked this underwater war in the western Pacific, China can only accept the challenge and must not allow the United States to seize the underwater combat superiority in the western Pacific as it pleases.
The United States has strengthened its military deployment around China, especially in the underwater domain, which poses a huge threat to China's security. In terms of submarine power, the US military has a large and advanced nuclear submarine formation, as well as supporting underwater reconnaissance equipment. In order to ensure that Chinese submarines can move freely and protect ***, the PLA needs to take a series of countermeasures.
First of all, China should step up efforts to improve the technical and tactical level of submarines. Only by attaining the international advanced level in submarine operation and combat skills can we better deal with the threat posed by the US military. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) should strengthen the training of submarine personnel and improve their professionalism and adaptability. At the same time, it is also necessary to improve the design and manufacturing processes of submarines, increase their performance and stealth capabilities. Through continuous innovation and technological breakthroughs, China can build more advanced submarine equipment and enhance its underwater combat capabilities.
Second, China should strengthen its underwater presence in the Western Pacific. Improve awareness of the underwater situation in the Western Pacific by placing underwater sensors and monitoring equipment in appropriate locations. At the same time, the deployment of deterrent underwater forces, such as conventional submarines and unmanned underwater systems, could be adopted to expose the US military to greater risks and resistance when operating in this area.
Third, China should strengthen its countermeasures against U.S. submarines. In addition to traditional anti-submarine means such as sonar and mines, China can use more advanced technologies in underwater combat, such as sonar decoy, the use of unmanned underwater systems, and anti-submarine missiles. The application of these technologies is capable of effectively jamming and striking enemy submarines, increasing the survivability of submarine forces.
Finally, China needs to strengthen cooperation with its neighbors and establish a common line of defense and intelligence-sharing mechanisms. By working together, we can better monitor and respond to U.S. submarine activity in the Indo-Pacific. China can strengthen military cooperation with Russia to jointly counter the U.S. submarine threat. We have established close working relationships with our Asian neighbors such as Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Australia to address potential challenges.
In short, in the face of the threat of the US military's underwater combat forces around China, China cannot sit idly by, but must take active measures to deal with it. By strengthening the technical and tactical level of submarines, increasing the underwater deployment in the western Pacific region, strengthening the countermeasures of US submarines and cooperating with neighboring countries, China can improve its underwater combat capabilities and ensure national security. Only in this way can China take the initiative in underwater operations in the western Pacific and protect its own interests and security.