When America's attack fleet is left behind by submarine technology
competition at sea;
Technology is advancing rapidly, submarines are becoming more equipped and can more easily pass the defense line of surface vessels whose function is to defend aircraft carriers than before, and this is a great challenge for the United States as the country that has the largest fleet of aircraft carriers.
The political group of the Anna Science and Technology News Agency, despite the significant investment of the United States on the largest fleet of aircraft carriers, their regression compared to the advances achieved in the field of missile and submarine technologies, has caused these military vessels to not be as efficient as before.
It is from this perspective that the main pillar of America's naval strategy is weak, especially in the Indo-Pacific strategic region as an area of competition with China.
In facing this challenge, some experts believe that the center of gravity of the naval strategy should be placed on having a larger submarine fleet. This means that the fleet of surface vessels will be equipped with smaller and faster ships.
Taking such an approach would lead to lower costs, greater flexibility, and reduced risk of mishaps, but at the cost of diminishing the United States' unparalleled ability to boast carrier-based air power.
In the meantime, there are some who are worried that American aircraft carriers may not have enough durability in a possible war with China. Let's not forget that America's global strategy is largely based on the rapid deployment and deployment of forces through these ships.
But if dependence on aircraft carriers is not compatible with the requirements of a possible war with China, what is the duty of the United States?
Some experts believe that instead of fleets, the emphasis of naval strategy should be on having a larger submarine fleet.
Technology is advancing rapidly, submarines are becoming better equipped, and are able to penetrate the defenses of surface vessels whose function is to defend aircraft carriers much more easily than in the past.
For example, during a joint exercise between French and American forces, a French Rubis-class submarine bypassed the barrier of the American attack fleet and inflicted a fatal, but fake, hit on the USS Theodore Roosevelt. This exercise was the end of the legend of the invincibility of the American carrier.
At the same time, small surface vessels are becoming faster and more lethal than giant ships, challenging defense scenarios.
To all these cases, the challenge of the emergence of hypersonic missiles should be added, which is an emerging and so deadly threat that the Americans have not yet succeeded in countering and confronting it.
The question now is, will such gigantic vessels lose their usefulness altogether, given the rapid advancement of missile and submarine technologies that have made aircraft carriers easy targets? The answer is “currently, in most conflicts, no.”
Currently, the US can deploy its supercarriers in most parts of the world without fear of repercussions. But this situation is changing. For example, Yemen's Ansarullah has deployed anti-ship missiles since late 2023, troubling the better-funded US Navy. When the situation in the Middle East is like this with actors who don't have much budget; How will it be in the Indo-Pacific with powerful players like China?
The bottom line is that although battleships have not yet lost their effectiveness, the margin of error for their use compared to (and even against) submarines is getting smaller and smaller.
