Bring Back Coast Guard Sub Hunters
By David Van Dyk
September 2020
Proceedings
Vol. 146/9/1,411
With the end of the Cold War, the Soviet Union ceased to be a threat to U.S. interests. As a result, antisubmarine warfare (ASW) equipment was removed from U.S. Coast Guard cutters. At the time, the logic appeared sound: With the fall of the communist menace, long patrols along the U.S. coastline hunting for Soviet submarines would no longer be required. Yet even as the Cold War faded into the history books, a new competitor was emerging.
Following economic reforms enacted in 1991, China began an upward trend that has continued largely unabated in three important areas: diplomatic influence, economic growth, and military expansion. Today, the geopolitical intentions of China’s Communist Party leaders remain murky at best. With its alarming—and illegal—actions in the South and East China Seas, including the construction of military bases on artificial islands and aggressive behaviors toward its neighbors, China has displayed a willingness to violate international law and strong-arm countries into actions favorable to its own interests.1
https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2020/september/bring-back-coast-guard-sub-hunters
