Targeting "Pacific Special Operations", the US military deploys new micro submarine forces | US military | deployment | capability | navy | US submarine | combat
Hot news: According to The Times, the US Navy has recently deployed a new type of miniature submarine, which will be used by the Navy SEALs to carry out secret missions. The report states that this new type of submarine can enable the "Seal" assault team to reach their destination in "warm, well rested, hydrated, and ready" conditions, making it an ideal choice for special operations in the Pacific region in the future.
Comment: With the continuous progress of military cutting-edge technology, the US Navy has emerged various new models in the delivery and deployment of special operations forces, among which the use of micro submarines as power delivery tools has become an increasingly important means. Compared with conventional submarines, micro submarines have smaller size and displacement, are easy to conceal and penetrate, and can greatly compensate for the shortcomings of conventional submarines that are not suitable for close contact with enemy nearshore, ports, and shallow sea operations. They have great combat value in helping naval special forces engage in low-intensity infiltration operations in dangerous waters. The new submarine deployed by the US Navy for the first time is the "dry" mini submarine, which can greatly enhance the deployment and combat capabilities of the "Seal" assault team after being equipped.
The new type of micro submarine can be carried by nuclear submarines, detaching from the mother ship at a certain distance from the target, and carrying "seal" assault teams to carry out infiltration missions.
Significantly enhancing the US Navy's special operations capabilities
The Navy SEALs are an important component of the United States Navy's special forces, and are also a key weapon for the US military to carry out local warfare and respond to emergencies. They have played a special role in various wars in the United States. As an important equipment for the power delivery of the "Seal" assault team, micro submarines have significant tactical value that cannot be underestimated. The United States has been vigorously developing and equipping miniature submarines since the 1980s, and has specifically established the "Seal Squad Transport System" project. Currently, it has developed a relatively mature Mk series of miniature submarines, among which the most advanced Mk 11 is made of aluminum alloy and fiberglass, weighing 17 tons at full load, with a working depth of 6 meters, and has good combat performance indicators. However, due to the "wet" design adopted by this series of submarines, which means that the special operations personnel on board must wear complex diving equipment and have to be exposed to cold water throughout the entire journey, it greatly consumes the physical strength of the special operations personnel, limiting the diving duration to only 3-4 hours, which is not conducive to long-term underwater infiltration operations.
In order to improve the above issues, the US Navy has begun to increase its research and development efforts on new submarines in recent years, with the intention of enabling special operations personnel to carry out operations without wearing diving gear or being exposed to humid underwater environments, thereby greatly changing the way special operations personnel engage in underwater combat. In 2018, Lockheed Martin announced the successful development of an electric miniature submarine based on the S351 "Goddess of Revenge" submersible. Similar to a scaled down version of a traditional submarine, it has a displacement of about 30 tons, a length of less than 12 meters, a speed of 5 knots, a maximum range of 66 nautical miles, a maximum diving depth of 100 meters, and can carry 8 special forces or 1 ton of cargo. The most important thing is that this type of submarine is equipped with a "dry deck carrier compartment", which allows the crew to work in a comfortable and warm environment without constantly soaking in cold water, wearing respirators and diving suits. This can reduce the physical energy consumption of special operations personnel and enhance their ability to carry out combat tasks. In May 2023, the Maritime Executive Office of the US Special Operations Command announced that Lockheed Martin had delivered two "dry" type micro submarines to the Navy, the first of which had been put into use and met initial combat capability requirements. The delivery of the third micro submarine is currently underway. Overall, this new type of submarine, in terms of cost, volume, and technological maturity, is much better than the previous Mk series submarines, and can provide the Seal Force with safe and secret long-range delivery in a completely dry environment. Once equipped in large quantities in the future, it will greatly enhance the operational deployment capability of the US Navy's special forces.
The new micro submarine will further enhance the special operations capabilities of the US Navy.
Selection of Special Operations in the Pacific Region
At present, the US military has a strong combat force in the Pacific region, especially after the establishment of the Indo Pacific Command in May 2018, the combat area has been further expanded and the deployment of troops has been further strengthened, becoming the largest and most responsible joint combat command among the US military. It deploys a carrier based strike group and an amphibious assault ship based expeditionary strike group year-round or at the forefront, which can intervene in regional affairs at any time. Despite having an absolute advantage in maritime power, the US Navy has always believed that the advantages of these two combat groups in the Pacific region have greatly weakened, and it is necessary to alleviate the strategic competition pressure in the region by adding new combat forces, especially special operations forces.
At present, the Pacific Special Operations Command is responsible for coordinating, planning, and commanding special operations operations in the Pacific region. The command was officially established in 1983 and operates as a rapidly deployable joint task force. It is responsible for supporting the Indo Pacific Theater Command in implementing strategic deterrence, quickly handling crises, and responding to threats posed by the United States and its interests in the region. It is the command with the largest responsibility area, the densest transportation lines, and the largest population among all special operations commands in the US military theater. The US Navy attaches great importance to the role of submarine power in conducting special operations, considering it as an important means to achieve rapid transportation of special operations personnel and carry out offensive and defensive operations. At present, the US submarine fleet in the Pacific region mainly includes 36 attack nuclear submarines of three types: the Virginia class, Los Angeles class, and Wave class. They can perform various strategic and tactical tasks such as anti submarine, anti-ship, ground attack, intelligence reconnaissance and surveillance, crisis warning, special operations, and strategic deterrence. They are an important force in implementing naval special operations operations in the region.
The deployment of a new type of micro submarine by the US Navy is an effective supplement to the aforementioned combat capabilities, allowing the US Navy's special forces, especially the Navy SEALs, to approach enemy coasts from submarines or other sea platforms without realizing it, achieving stronger special operations and intelligence acquisition capabilities. And other elite special forces of the US military can also use this equipment to easily reach the coast, penetrate deep behind enemy lines or other sensitive locations, carry out reconnaissance intelligence, or directly attack important targets and equipment. This type of micro submarine can also be more conveniently docked with other submarines, and can even be quickly airlifted from the United States to the Asia Pacific region. It can be assembled with nuclear submarines at a dock, which not only makes deployment more flexible, but also saves a lot of time, greatly improving the long-range amphibious infiltration and reconnaissance capabilities of the US special forces, making it an ideal choice for the US military to carry out special operations in the Pacific region.
A wet frogman transport boat installed on the back of a US Navy nuclear submarine.
Future major power confrontation may become more intense
In recent years, as the United States has continuously shifted its strategic focus to "great power competition," the US military first considers high-end confrontation with major powers in various strategic planning. How to strategically deter major powers has become the primary consideration for many US military strategic plans. For example, the "all government strategy" and "Pacific deterrence plan" proposed by the United States in recent years are aimed at addressing major power confrontation, concentrating resources on critical military capability gaps to enhance the credibility of US strategic deterrence. In addition, the US Indo Pacific Command has specifically proposed the "Four Pillars" plan for regional power competition, including the establishment of an integrated joint force to enhance the joint force's lethality by achieving the ability to dominate the ocean, air, land, space, and cyberspace fields. At the same time, it has improved the regional force structure and deployment, emphasizing the ability to form a scale advantage without gathering troops.
In order to better achieve the goal of great power competition, the US military has been actively exploring new combat concepts, proposing many new concepts such as "resistance operations" and "expeditionary base operations". The concept of "resistance warfare" is a fundamental framework that strengthens the military capabilities of so-called "friendly allies" through the use of various means including special forces, psychological warfare, and civil affairs, achieving the ability to effectively resist both civil and military forces in the face of hostile attacks and occupation. The concept of "Expeditionary Advance Base Operations" was proposed by the Marine Corps. By using highly mobile, low characteristic, long-lasting, and relatively easy to maintain naval expeditionary forces, a series of simple temporary positions located in adversarial or potential adversarial waters are used to resist at sea. This forms the ability to rely on small-scale reconnaissance and anti reconnaissance, mobile air defense anti-ship missile systems, and effective "regional denial" within the coverage range of the enemy's powerful precision strike comprehensive system.
The new micro submarine can be deployed globally by large transport aircraft and has strong strategic maneuverability.
According to the concept of "expeditionary base operations", the future Marine Corps will also complete the transformation from a force mainly responsible for large-scale amphibious landing operations to a force mainly responsible for small-scale island capture operations and implementing regional denial operations. In order to achieve this vision, the US Navy is following the "Atlantic Standing Naval Force" model established by NATO in Europe during the Cold War and is building multiple special task forces in the Pacific region to quickly respond to various crises and counter the increasing military strength of regional powers.
The deployment of a new type of miniature submarine by the US Navy for the Navy SEALs is also an effective practice of the concept of "expeditionary base operations". The intention is to use more advanced emerging technologies and weapons to enable the US Navy to play a more prominent role and occupy an advantageous position in confrontation with major powers. Not only can it build favorable environmental conditions before potential conflicts occur, but it can also quickly deploy naval forces for combat and build a comprehensive maritime attack and defense system after the outbreak of conflicts and during combat operations. From the perspective of future development, in the face of increasing competition pressure from major powers, especially the rapid development of their maritime military forces, the United States will continue to take more measures to maintain regional military advantages and dominance, thereby making competition and confrontation among major powers more intense.
