US reviving Cold War-era underwater surveillance network to tackle China

Washington DC, USA

A Reuters report has indicated that the US is working to resuscitate its Cold War-era submarine surveillance network in the wake of China’s rising naval power.

According to the report, the US Navy has renamed its monitoring system at Whidbey Island off Seattle to Theater Undersea Surveillance Command, with the new mission of modernising America’s existing network of underwater acoustic spy cables and retrofitting a fleet of surveillance ships with cutting-edge sensors and subsea microphones. 

Decades ago, the initial network of covert spy cables was strategically placed on the ocean floor to monitor Soviet submarines.

US Navy investing in new technologies

The Navy's current strategy involves deploying unmanned sea drones to detect adversary vessels, positioning portable "underwater satellite" sensors on the seafloor for submarine surveillance, utilising satellites to track ships through radio frequencies, and harnessing AI software for swift maritime intelligence analysis.

The US Navy has also been signing new contracts quite aggressively to renew its submarine infrastructure, further confirming the speculations.

Watch: Gravitas: Has China planted moles in the U.S. navy?

Over 30 agreements related to the surveillance programme have been inked within the past three years. These pacts involved defence industry leaders and burgeoning startups specialising in unmanned sea drones and AI processing. 

Additionally, a Reuters investigation into ship-tracking data and satellite images unveiled fresh insights into the Navy's covert undersea cable installation efforts.

China also developing a similar programme

Meanwhile, China is actively developing its own maritime espionage programme, named the "Great Underwater Wall," according to two US Navy insiders cited by Reuters. 

This network, presently in construction, comprises sonar-equipped cables laid along the South China Sea seafloor—a region marked by territorial conflicts between Beijing and its neighbours. China is also assembling a fleet of underwater and surface sea drones for submarine detection.

Also read: Indian and US Navy P8 planes practice submarine-hunting in Indian Ocean

China's maritime interests extend into the Pacific, with the state-run China Academy of Sciences disclosing its operation of two underwater sensors in 2018: one in the Mariana Trench's Challenger Deep, Earth's deepest point, and the other near Yap, an island in the Federated States of Micronesia. 

While China asserts these sensors serve scientific purposes, US Navy sources suggest they could potentially monitor submarine movements near the US naval base on Guam, a Pacific island territory.