China’s Armed Forces Aim to Neutralize US Submarine Detection System: Experts Reveal

Submarines play a crucial role in China’s maritime defense strategies, while U.S. deep-sea surveillance poses significant challenges to their operations, according to Chinese military analysts.

In response, some officers from the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) suggest a focused effort to neutralize America’s underwater sensor networks during conflicts. This could involve disabling or deceiving the sensors with various tactics, including the use of unmanned underwater vehicles and China’s extensive network of fishing vessels.

Ryan Martinson, a scholar at the U.S. Naval War College’s China Maritime Studies Institute, highlighted in a piece for the Center for International Maritime Security that vulnerabilities in the U.S. surveillance network could be exploited due to the vast area of the Western Pacific. Disabling several nodes could potentially cripple the network’s effectiveness.

The perceptions of underwater strength are notably divergent between the U.S. and China. The U.S. and its allies in the Pacific are concerned about the expansion of China’s submarine fleet, which is expected to grow from 65 submarines this year to 80 by 2035, including advanced nuclear and conventional submarines equipped with anti-ship missiles.

On the other hand, China is increasingly worried that enhanced American anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities have left their submarines too exposed. Martinson notes that PLAN’s investment in submarines underscores their strategic importance, but their effectiveness is compromised if they cannot avoid detection.

Martinson’s analysis was based on a 2023 article by three Chinese naval officers in the internal military journal Military Art, which candidly discusses these challenges.

The article describes fears among Chinese military thinkers that their submarines are significantly disadvantaged against an integrated, multi-dimensional U.S. surveillance system comprising ships, submarines, aircraft, satellites, and advanced sensor technologies.

Conversely, Chinese experts view the extensive American ASW efforts as a strategy to maintain uninhibited surveillance under the oceans. They point to U.S. operations during the Cold War, which involved creating bottlenecks like the GIUK Gap to monitor Soviet submarines. Today, similar strategies may threaten the operational freedom of China’s strategic submarines, particularly its fleet of nuclear ballistic missile submarines.

According to the Military Art article, the likelihood of Chinese submarines being detected near their bases or while operating in regional waters is alarmingly high, a stark critique of their current operational capabilities.

Questions arise whether these assessments by Chinese officers are exaggerated to gain more resources or push for a more assertive maritime strategy. Bryan Clark, a senior researcher at the Hudson Institute and former U.S. Navy submarine officer, thinks their assessments are generally accurate.

Clark confirmed that the U.S. undersea sensor network, including fixed arrays and SURTASS ships, has effectively tracked submarines for decades. This network has become a focal point for Chinese strategists looking to counteract U.S. maritime dominance.

Chinese military strategists argue for a robust campaign to disable American ASW capabilities through various means, including attacks on vulnerable points like undersea cables and command-and-control systems, which they consider the network’s Achilles heel.

Moreover, they suggest enhancing China’s ability to detect and destroy hidden sensors and drones using a combination of technologies. This would entail significant investment in unmanned underwater vehicles and other advanced systems designed for undersea warfare.

While disruptive actions could be effective, Clark notes that such operations would divert resources from other military needs and might be challenging to execute without compromising other strategic objectives.

Ultimately, the decision to adopt these aggressive countermeasures lies with China’s military and political leadership. However, the fact that these discussions are occurring among credible experts suggests that they are being considered seriously, thus warranting attention from U.S. naval strategists.