Asian Submarine Race Raises Security Concerns

Jeevan Vasagar, Financial Times
17 May 2017

A rapid build-up of submarines in the western Pacific is fuelling Asian demand for vessels with advanced technology, defense groups say.
The number of submarines in the region is expected to rise to 250 from 200 within eight years, according to Singapore’s defense ministry, which warned this week of a growing risk of “miscalculations at sea”.
Quiet vessels with long-range firepower pose a challenge for planners seeking to keep Asian sea lanes open, said contractors and analysts gathered at a maritime defense exhibition in Singapore.
“The region is growing submarine capability quicker than anywhere else on the planet at the moment,” said Brett Reed, responsible for Southeast Asia defense sales at Austal, the Australian shipbuilder. “[Asian] navies want to be able to search for, detect and prosecute submarines.”
The latest increase in naval capabilities came this week when Singapore, which has the biggest defense budget in Southeast Asia, announced the purchase of two submarines from Germany’s ThyssenKrupp.
The number of submarines in the region is expected to rise to 250 from 200 within eight years, according to Singapore’s defense ministry, which warned this week of a growing risk of “miscalculations at sea”.
Quiet vessels with long-range firepower pose a challenge for planners seeking to keep Asian sea lanes open, said contractors and analysts gathered at a maritime defense exhibition in Singapore.
“The region is growing submarine capability quicker than anywhere else on the planet at the moment,” said Brett Reed, responsible for Southeast Asia defense sales at Austal, the Australian shipbuilder. “[Asian] navies want to be able to search for, detect and prosecute submarines.”
The latest increase in naval capabilities came this week when Singapore, which has the biggest defense budget in Southeast Asia, announced the purchase of two submarines from Germany’s ThyssenKrupp.
The number of submarines in the region is expected to rise to 250 from 200 within eight years, according to Singapore’s defense ministry, which warned this week of a growing risk of “miscalculations at sea”.
Quiet vessels with long-range firepower pose a challenge for planners seeking to keep Asian sea lanes open, said contractors and analysts gathered at a maritime defense exhibition in Singapore.
“The region is growing submarine capability quicker than anywhere else on the planet at the moment,” said Brett Reed, responsible for Southeast Asia defense sales at Austal, the Australian shipbuilder. “[Asian] navies want to be able to search for, detect and prosecute submarines.”
The latest increase in naval capabilities came this week when Singapore, which has the biggest defense budget in Southeast Asia, announced the purchase of two submarines from Germany’s ThyssenKrupp.