U.S. defense strategy depends in large part on America’s advantage in undersea warfare. Quiet submarines are one of the U.S. military’s most viable means of gathering intelligence and projecting power in the face of mounting anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) threats being fielded by a growing number of countries. As a result, undersea warfare is an important, if not essential, element of current and future U.S. operational plans. America’s rivals worry in particular about the access submarines provide for U.S. power-projection operations, which can help offset an enemy’s numerical or geographic advantages.
