In recent years, the Chinese Navy has developed rapidly, bringing new challenges to the US Navy. To counter the rise of the Chinese Navy, the U.S. Navy plans to equip its submarines with new missiles next year, the Sea Tomahawk, to improve the underwater combat capabilities of submarines. The program is expected to equip the Los Angeles and Virginia nuclear submarines with 12 missile launchers each, providing more flexible and powerful firepower support for underwater operations. What is different from the past is that in addition to the ability to accurately hit land targets, this new missile also has the ability to strike large and slow targets at sea, mainly against Chinese aircraft carriers and large-tonnage combat ships. The move suggests that the United States is trying to curb the development of China's navy and improve its own maritime superiority and strategic deterrence through covert underwater launches and long-range attacks.
The new "Sea Tomahawk" missile is an adjustment and improvement of the "Tomahawk" missile previously used by the United States in the Iraq War. Compared to the previous Tomahawk missile, the new missile has a significant increase in speed and accuracy, providing submarines with more powerful underwater strike capabilities. Each submarine will be equipped with 12 missiles, forming a fixed forward launch, and in the form of an independent module, it will become one of the standard equipment of American submarines. This brand-new "Sea Tomahawk" missile can not only accurately hit land targets, but also target large slow targets at sea, such as aircraft carriers and subordinate ships in formations, providing the United States with more effective means of response and deterrence in the context of threats to the Chinese Navy.
The U.S. Navy's plan is intended to comprehensively enhance the submarine's underwater combat capability and make it more flexible and effective. By equipping it with Tomahawk missiles, the US Navy can attack Chinese maritime formations at a greater range, without having to rely on the attack radius of carrier-based aircraft. This form of underwater covert launch and long-range attack capability is of great significance in the context of the Chinese Navy's growing superiority in large-tonnage combat ships and rapidly surpassing the United States in total numbers. In addition, the United States is also jointly developing advanced sea-based strike missiles with Nordic countries in order to further broaden the means and scope of underwater strikes. These efforts can provide strong support for the US Navy to maintain its superiority in the great power competition.
Although the United States is not completely confident in its naval combat capabilities and the effectiveness of anti-ship missiles, the resurrected "Sea Tomahawk" missile has still become one of the main equipment of US submarines. This shows that the United States is working hard to build a networked, intelligent, and firepower information integration system for advanced equipment, and is paying close attention to this. However, compared to other previous models, it is likely that this missile is far from what the United States envisioned. Therefore, the United States needs to conduct continuous experiments and tests to ensure that the actual strike effectiveness and capabilities of this ** equipment correspond to expectations. The purpose of equipping every submarine with "Sea Tomahawk" missiles is twofold: on the one hand, to suppress and kill China's maritime formations through a strike radius of 1,600 kilometers, and even to freeze the opponent's actions;On the other hand, with the help of the concealment capability of submarines, missiles are launched to strike at mainland targets in China's coastal waters, and various strike operations are carried out from first-line ports to second-line positions and then to third-line deployment. The move once again highlights the importance and anxiety that the United States attaches to China's coastal areas, as well as the reality of rapidly advancing great power competition.
Next year will be the second year of the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy, and if it can take a substantial step from a military perspective and gain so-called "maritime superiority," it can provide important support for the United States to build a powerful long-range strategic deterrence system around China. By equipping each submarine with the Tomahawk missile, each submarine has become a powerful arsenal of combat power, and the United States intends to consolidate its military superiority in the Indo-Pacific region while weakening the development momentum of the Chinese Navy. The advancement of this plan is the result of US strategic adjustment and arms escalation, and it is also a direct challenge to US strategic interests caused by China's rise.
The rise of China's navy poses an unprecedented challenge to the United States, which seeks to maintain maritime superiority and strategic deterrence through continuous military technological innovation and equipment upgrades. The US Navy, mentioned in the article, plans to equip nuclear submarines with Sea Tomahawk missiles, which are aimed at enhancing the underwater combat capabilities of submarines, controlling and striking against Chinese naval formations. The plan demonstrates the U.S. concern about China's coastal military posture and seeks to weaken the Chinese navy's superiority and power through covert submarine launches and long-range strikes. The further advancement of the Indo-Pacific strategy will provide important support for the United States to consolidate its military position in the Indo-Pacific region. However, as China's navy continues to grow, so do the challenges facing the United States. In the future, the maritime competition between China and the United States will become more intense, and the Chinese Navy will continue to improve its modern equipment and tactical capabilities. In the face of this situation, it is necessary to strengthen the construction of domestic navies and improve response capabilities, and at the same time actively strengthen international maritime security cooperation to maintain regional peace and stability. Only through the coexistence of cooperation and competition can we make a positive contribution to the development of the world maritime order.