Seeking to protect their coastlines and maritime trade routes from attack, East Asian navies are turning increasingly to submarines that are difficult to detect and armed with weapons that can sink even the largest warships. .As regional economies recover from the financial crisis of 1997 and 1998 largely as a result of growing seaborne trade, countries across the region are once again raising their military spending, officials and analysts said Sunday.
A top priority is to build, buy or lease submarines to improve their fleets or create new ones. The trend reflects a major shift in defense priorities since the end of the Cold War, when U.S.-led and Soviet bloc naval forces were designed mainly for war in the open sea. Military planners now believe that most future naval confrontations will take place in coastal waters, especially in and around key shipping channels, such as the strait between Taiwan and mainland China, and the Malacca Straits between Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
"Operating near busy shipping channels or maritime chokepoints, submarines can covertly lay minefields or attack and disrupt commercial shipping," the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence said in a recent report. "In this way, even a nation having a few relatively unsophisticated submarines can conduct sea denial and exert regional influence." .East Asian navies are acquiring submarines that use conventional diesel-electric engines, rather than the more expensive, larger nuclear-powered submarines in the U.S. and British navies, because they are better suited to operations in relatively shallow waters and are the most effective weapon against another diesel submarine, analysts said.
"The availability of second-hand submarines has been another factor affecting market dynamics," said Richard Scott, naval editor of Janes Defense Weekly. "Fleet cutbacks in a number of European navies have left surplus boats on offer with some years of useful service life still remaining." .Malaysia is considering the lease or purchase of two former Dutch Navy submarines that arrived at Malaysia's main naval base in Lumut last month, Malaysian officials said. The government has asked European manufacturers to tender for supply of up to four submarines. ."I believe that if we acquire submarines, we will have a high deterrent capability as well as an important stealth factor," said Defense Minister Najib Razak. .The Dutch manufacturer, RDM Submarines, which acquired the two submarines now in Malaysia, is considered to be a leading contender to win the contract. It recently formed a joint venture with the main Malaysian shipbuilding firm, PSC-Naval Dockyard Sdn Bhd. .Executives said that the joint venture had submitted a proposal to the Malaysian government to set up a submarine service, including training, operations and support. .Thai naval officials recently urged the government to lease several submarines from Germany so that Thailand could protect sea-lanes in the Gulf of Thailand and maintain a credible defense force against any future threats.
Singapore last year took delivery of the first of four refurbished submarines that formerly belonged to the Swedish Navy. The second boat is expected to arrive in Singapore later this year. Analysts said that although the submarines being added to some East Asian fleets might be second hand, their combat and propulsion systems had been upgraded so that they could stay submerged for days at a time and pose a lethal threat to warships either with wire-guided or wake-homing torpedoes or missiles fired from underwater. Japan, with 16 modern non-nuclear submarines in its fleet, is considered to have the strongest capability for underwater naval operations in the region. But China is striving to catch up by buying four Kilo-class submarines from Russia and pressing ahead with construction of its own diesel electric boats. Taiwan has four submarines, although China several years ago blocked the Dutch from supplying additional vessels. Some analysts said that China's program to expand and modernize its navy, and its conflicting maritime boundary and island claims with many of its neighbours, was one of the factors prompting Asian countries to get more submarines.
South Korea, mindful of the continuing potential threat of an estimated 22 North Korean submarines, recently announced that it would build three advanced German-designed submarines by 2009 at a cost of $1.1 billion. South Korea has only seven submarines in its navy. .Some analysts are concerned that the increasing use of submarines by East Asian navies may contribute to a regional arms race, although officials deny this. .Analysts also said that although the United States had close military ties with many of the countries acquiring submarines, American military planners would have to take the threat of submarine attack more seriously in future operations in the region, particularly those that might involve China. ."For countries like the U.S., which has used aircraft carrier battle groups in shows of force, the proliferation of submarines and small, fast-attack surface craft armed with missiles raises the risk level of such operations," an analyst said.
Reported on 15/1/2001 (Mon)
