South China Morning Post (Hong Kong)
12 April 2018
- RSIS
- Media Mentions
- US Navy’s New Pacific Command Chief Expected to Step Up Drive to Counter China’s Submarine Power
US Navy’s New Pacific Command Chief Expected to Step Up Drive to Counter China’s Submarine Power
The nomination of an anti-submarine and electronic warfare specialist as the new head of the US Pacific Command suggests that the Pentagon will be more focused on measures to counter China’s rapid build-up of its submarine forces in the region, military experts have said.
Beijing-based naval expert Li Jie said the nomination of Phil Davidson, a four-star admiral, to the post was a mark of America’s “unceasing vigilance” in the face of the rapid development of China’s submarine capabilities.
Collin Koh Swee Lean, a submarine expert from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, also agreed that Davidson’s background would bolster the US Navy’s focus on anti-submarine and electronic warfare.
The appointment “could be a response to general trends in the region – for example the focus on building up submarine forces, missile and radar capabilities etc – all of which would require more focus on ASW and EW”, Koh said.
“China, which has been publicly identified as one of the near-peer competitors in the military realm, could also be in mind, of course.”
IDSS / Print / Online
