In Australia, the submarine debate is dominated by the acquisition of nuclear-powered attack submarines under the AUKUS deal. Significantly less attention is given to threats from submarines, specifically the eight nuclear-powered attack submarines Russia operates in our region and its strategic incentives to use them. This ASPI explainer examines the Russian Pacific Fleet's potent submarine force and explores how it could support China in a Pacific conflict.
Moscow's growing strategic reliance on China, combined with its substantial Pacific-based submarine force, could shape a regional conflict involving China. The explainer considers how Russian submarines could support Chinese operations by threatening undersea cables, disrupting critical sea lines of communication and striking ports and logistics infrastructure, particularly around Japan. The explainer argues that Australia and its allies should account for the possibility of Russian participation in an Indo-Pacific contingency and consider how deterrence efforts across the European and Indo-Pacific theatres could be better coordinated.
