The Submarine and Great Power Competition in the Indo-Pacific: How China, AUKUS and Japan measure up

Despite alarm at the exponential growth of the Chinese Navy, US supremacy at sea in the Indo-Pacific is not at risk, at least for the coming decade. The submarine plays a key role in this. Whereas carriers, ships and aircraft cannot hide and face threats from multiple dimensions, the submarine’s stealth and lethality make it a force-multiplier. Currently US and Japanese submarines far outpace their Chinese counterparts in terms of quality. And although China aspires to be a maritime superpower, it faces serious disadvantages in terms of both geography and alliances.