Posted on 01/19/2012 3:09:49 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
Battle for control of Asia's seas goes underwater
YOKOSUKA, Japan (AP) — It's getting a bit more crowded under the sea in Asia, where Andrew Peterson commands one of the world's mightiest weapons: a $2 billion nuclear submarine with unrivaled stealth and missiles that can devastate targets hundreds of miles (kilometers) away.
Super high-tech submarines like Cmdr. Peterson's USS Oklahoma City have long been the envy of navies all over the globe — and a key component of U.S. military strategy.
"We really have no peer," Peterson told The Associated Press during a recent port call in Japan.
But America's submarine dominance in the Pacific is facing its biggest challenge since the Cold War. Nearly every Asian country with a coastline is fortifying its submarine fleet amid territorial disputes stirred up by an increasingly assertive China and the promise of bountiful natural resources.
Submarines are difficult to find and hard to destroy. Even fairly crude submarine forces can attack surface ships or other targets with a great deal of stealth, making them perfect for countries with limited resources. The threat of such an attack is a powerful deterrent in Asia, where coastal defenses are vital.
"This is shaping up as an intense arms race," said Lyle Goldstein, an associate professor at the China Maritime Studies Institute of the U.S. Naval War College. "This arms race is not simply China versus the rest — though that explains much of it — because there are other rivalries here as well."
China is pouring money into enlarging and modernizing its fleet, and India is planning to get a nuclear-powered attack submarine — the INS Chakra — on a 10-year lease from Russia as early as this month.
Australia is debating
(Excerpt) Read more at google.com ...
FILE - In this April 23, 2009 file photo, a Chinese Navy nuclear-powered submarine sails during an international fleet review in the waters off Qingdao, China, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of People's Liberation Army Navy. Nearly every Asian country with a coastline is fortifying its submarine fleet amid territorial disputes stirred up by an increasingly assertive China and the promise of bountiful natural resources in the Pacific. (AP Photo/Guang Niu, Pool, File)
That sub is just another old Russian POS that ours ran rings around for the last 50 years.
I believe this is a Chinese Navy Jin class ballistic missile nuclear powered submarine. It seems all Chinese submarines have those cute little windows, with the white trim?
Are those windows in that submarine, near the top front of the tower?
We should always take a threat, any threat, seriously. But if this thing is moving, it's toast.
Looks like Anderson windows. Really good! I wonder if it has a screen door, too.
Do they waterproof that thing with the same material I mop on my carport every couple of years?
I’m glad to see countries like Japan and Australia taking a more central role in their own defense by building up their navies. Both countries should have strong navies that we can work with.
This is part of the strategy I believe we should be taking all along. We should be pulling resources out of western Europe and adding them to the Middle East and Asia. I believe sometime in the 90’s we closed the airbase on Midway. I think we should re-open that. It’s of strategic importance IMO. Building up our bases on Guam is a good idea also. I like the idea of moving some of our troops from Okinawa and sending them to Guam.
It doesn’t even look sea-worthy. You’d think they would try to at least make the skin surface smooth.
Made in China!
Midway: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midway_Atoll
You’re right. We need to be thinking long-term strategy.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.