New Dimensions of Surveillance - Reinventing the Fish-Hook Strategy

The United States, during the Cold War era had installed various Sound Surveillance Systems or SOSUS, in the Indo-Pacific region, with the help of the Japanese. Initially this alliance under the name of Project Caesar, involved running cables out on the continental shelves and connecting them to hydrophones suspending them above the sea bottom at optimum signal depths. Various data collection stations were set up on shore and were connected to defence communication satellites and analysis centres. Given the shifting regional dynamics, in the early 2000’s China's PLAN increased its submarine patrols in the waters. This caused the US Navy and Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) to set up a chain of monitoring systems in the East and South China Sea. This establishment was known as the “Fish-hook” SOSUS network or the “Fish Hook Undersea Defence Line”. This line stretched from Japan to Southeast Asia with key nodes at Okinawa, Guam, and Taiwan. But, the significance of this network does not lie in the fact that the US has been successful at forming allies with nations of tactical importance. But rather the strategic locations of their SOSUS installments which gives the impression of a fish hook. Due to the technological limitations of the era, the US had been unable to make much progress with the project. However, given the scientific advancements today, nation states are actively trying to improve the quality of their maritime and aerospace installments in order to seek better intelligence.

Loosely based on the lines of the Fish Hook strategy, China too has been seen taking similar steps in the recent past. Even though China’s undersea capacity building began in the 1980’s, it is only in the past decade that it has started to be more vocal about its operations. Earlier, in 2010, the area under China's North Sea Fleet, headquartered in Qingdao, had witnessed the installment of an underwater optical detection network. The second system was installed near Hainan Island in 2011, and part of the system was tested in 2013 near Sanya nuclear submarine base. The State Council in 2012, announced the construction of the seabed observation system in Lingshui, Hainan. However, these projects were unable to yield the desired results.

Soon after, China altered its strategy regarding the use of technology in its forces. A clear indicator of this change was seen in December 2015, when the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), which is one of the largest state owned enterprises of China, announced the launch of the “Underwater Great Wall” (UGW) in the disputed South China Sea region. The project talks about the installation of underwater security equipment, marine oil and gas exploration equipment, unmanned underwater equipment and marine electronic equipment as well as the construction of a network of ship and subsurface sensors. This grand initiative is considered to be an advanced form of the Sound Surveillance System, which was once used by the US to detect Soviet Union submarines during the Cold War. As per open sources, the installation of sensors on the seabed would take place near the PLAN (PLA Navy) bases at Sanya at Hainan island. These sensors alert offshore centres about movements in the waters, by picking up on the sound waves caused by the movement of submarines and other underwater equipment.

Apart from embarking on a project as ambitious as the UWG, China is also looking towards other alternatives to assert its dominance in the South China Sea. In 2019, the China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC), which is a state owned enterprise, revealed a new unmanned ocean observation system at this year’s Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) in Malaysia. CETC declared the “Blue Ocean Information Network”, which includes an array of sensors and communication lines in the region. Even though the Blue Ocean Information Network which is a comprehensive network of sensors; that was supposedly based on the pretext of environmental monitoring, satellite images suggest otherwise. The two elements of this network that are most visible are “Ocean E-Stations” dubbed “floating integrated information platforms” (IIFP) and “island reef-based integrated information systems” (IRBIS). According to Chinese social media sites, the IIFP has a range of over 100 kms, and is capable of detecting automatic identification system (AIS) signals to over 30 kms. As per an AMTI report, the CETC has deployed five floating platforms around Hainan and one fixed platform at the Bombay Reef. Out of which, the “Island-Reef Information System”, is based on the Bombay Reef. Bombay reef, which lies adjacent to major shipping lanes and runs parallel between the Paracels and the Spratly Islands, gives it a strategic edge.

The Blue Ocean Information Network, was not the only project that was launched under the pretext of ecological monitoring. In January 2019, the China Academy of Sciences established an Oceanographic Research Centre on Mischief Reef. In the past six years alone, China has laid claims to several reefs and atolls in the region.  This clearly indicates that China's presence is expanding way beyond its own maritime zone, and is stretching into international waters. Apart from that it is increasingly adding on to its military facilities in these claimed territories and so far it has 3,000 m runways, naval berths, hangars, reinforced ammunition bunkers, missile silos and radar sites. Satellite images have also suggested that these areas are being used for civilian habitation, as images of accommodation blocks, administrative buildings roofed with blue ceramic tiles, hospitals, and even sports complexes can be seen on these reclaimed islands. The Subi reef already has a six-acre fruit and vegetable plot, and civilians on these territories enjoy 5G mobile data access along with other basic necessities. These activities on part of China, clearly indicate active steps in the direction of building a better SOSUS in the region.

However, one aspect in which Chinese forces seem to lack is anti-submarine warfare techniques and related equipment. Hence, it is stressing on improving this sector. As per the UGW, there has been a key focus on developing Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUV) and Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USV), which would make up for China's weak Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW). In late 2013, China also launched the Type 056 with the first of ASW-optimized light frigates. In order to train its naval and airforce troops with this newly developed technology, on the 25th and 26th May of 2016, PLAN’s South Sea Fleet was seen engaged in an ASW drill. This drill went on for twenty-four hours straight and made use of four surface warships, two Type 052D guided-missile destroyers (Hefei and Guangzhou), a Type 052C destroyer (Lanzhou), and a Type 054A guided-missile frigate (Yulin), as well as three unspecified anti-submarine helicopters.

United States in the Pacific- Countering China

Even though China seems to be increasing its dominance in the South China Sea by implementing almost similar strategies to that of the Fish Hook, the US too has been keeping a close eye on its rival’s movements. The US has been attempting to revive its previous strategy and make use of the latest technologies. Soon after China announced the launch of the UGW in 2015, the US increased its freedom of navigation movements in the region. Apart from that it was the U.S. Navy crewman aboard a P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft, which reported the Chinese construction on the reclaimed land of Fiery Cross Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea in May 2015.

The presence of the US in the region has caused diplomatic rows between both nations time and again. In order to successfully counter China, in the last five years alone, the US has been heavily investing in ASW programs. On 30th January, 2018, the US Navy accepted Anti-Submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV) from Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The ACTUV program was originally launched in 2010, and by 2012, Leidos, a joint spin-off of Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), was handed over the contract for the prototype to be developed in four phases, under a budget of $59m. The ACTUV is an unmanned surface vessel which will be able to locate and track submarines deep underwater, with more accuracy and precision than manned surface ships. Another project launched at the same time was the Medium Displacement Unmanned Surface Vessel (MDUSV). The MDUSV is equipped with navigation and piloting sensors, electro-optics, and long and short range radar, which also aids in anti-submarine warfare operations. The first ship of the ACTUV program is the Sea Hunter, which is an unmanned ship designed to track quiet diesel-electric submarines for months.

Apart from the launch of the Sea Hunter, which is considered to be a valuable asset of the US Navy, in 2017, the Ocean of Things program was announced by DARPA’s Strategic Technology Office. This multi-phase project aims to deploy thousands of small, low cost floatation devices over large ocean areas. This would enable to create a distributed sensor network that is accurate and cost efficient. These floating sensors also known as floats can remain at sea for months and provide a more detailed information of the underwater. These floats would collect environment data and transmit the information via satellite to a government owned cloud network for storage and analysis. This initiative is also compared to China’s Blue Ocean sensors, however, these floats have the advantage of being deployed anywhere. According to the DARPA website, these floats have been deployed off the coast of Southern California and the Gulf of Mexico as of the first quarter of 2020. The US government is, still collaborating with private enterprise and software developers to bolster this project.

Of late, the US has also shifted its attention to inculcating laser technology in its equipment. There have been a few instances where the US has pointed out China's ability to use laser beams against them. One such instance occurred in May, 2018, where the US reported that Chinese were operating from their offshore base in Djibouti, and that they had reportedly used lasers to interfere with US aircrafts landing in the region. As recently as 17th February, 2020, a Chinese Navy warship used a laser against a U.S. surveillance aircraft operating over the Philippine Sea. In response to such attacks US is investing in laser-based navigational aid, LADAR (Laser Detection and Ranging), which will enable accurate object detection and high-precision measurement. The LDR is also working towards inculcating lasers in drone technology.

But these technological advancements have only fueled the rising tensions between the two states as well as in the region. Both the countries have also increased their movements in the region in an attempt to counter one another. One such recent movement was observed in July 2020 when dual carrier operations were conducted by the US in the South China Sea. The USS Nimitz and the USS Ronald Reagan, the two aircraft carriers, were reported to have been crossing the Luzon strait. This move made by the US, is indicative of the fact that the US will not retreat anytime soon. However, in order to combat China’s activities to bolster its Underwater Great Wall project, the US has made its presence known in strategically important locations like Luzon strait and the Subic bay. Navy P-8 Poseidons have also been regularly deployed from Malaysia and Singapore. And as of August 2020, the US military has deployed three B-2 stealth bombers of the US Air Force in the remote Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia. This comes under the US military’s Indo Pacific command (INDOPACOM), and the B-2 stealth bombers are known for long range attacks.

Impacts on regional actors- India a potential strategic partner

China’s claims in the South China Sea has already strained its relations with its surrounding nations. Hence, the US presence in the region bolsters smaller countries like Brunei, Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, who would not be able to challenge China in their individual capacity. But the presence of two giants squabbling over the same maritime zone, can have its impacts on the surrounding countries. Given that the Fish Hook strategy is not limited to the South China Sea, but also extends into the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), nation states like India and Japan too need to be taken into consideration, while viewing the possibilities of the US-China tensions.

Bearing in mind the key role played by Japan in the formative years of developing the Fish Hook Undersea Defence Line, Japan becomes an extremely important player in this region. Till date the JMSDF and the US Navy personnel jointly manage the JMSDF Oceanographic Observation Center at Okinawa. The US is hence privy to all the information that the center receives. This close association between the US and Japan, has ensured that the Chinese encroachments in the western Pacific can be taken care of. But in order to improve its hold over the entire region, the US and Japan will surely try to form alliances with potentially strategic nations who can aid them in case of a future war-like situation. In such a scenario, India becomes a capable partner, who could successfully counter China's increasing encroachments.

And given the increasingly aggressive nature of China, India has been considering its own chain of undersea sensors in the Bay of Bengal. According to sources, in order to undertake such a task, India will embark on a joint project with Japan and the US for defence in its littoral spaces. This includes setting up of Sound Surveillance Systems (SOSUS) near Indian seas. Japan is to assist India with the construction of an undersea network of seabed based sensors, that would stretch from the tip of Sumatra in the right to Indira point in the Bay of Bengal. Media sources claim that Japan have financed the laying of the optical fiber cable from Chennai to Port Blair. Once this feat has been accomplished, it is likely to become a part of the existing US- Japan fishhook SOSUS network. This would enable the three nations to better monitor China's activities in the Indian Ocean Region. Another reason that makes the IOR so important is the presence of Chinese Sea Lines of Communication (SLOCs) in the region. Around 75 percent of Chinese SLOCs that connect it to Africa and the Middle East pass through the IOR. India thus enjoys a geo-strategic advantage in this domain. By activating the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India could employ the anti-access and area-denial (A2/AD) weapons in the maritime zone. There have been speculations that undersea sensor chains could have been established around the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Moreover, it is likely that India's steps in this direction could raise concerns from the Chinese and might upset Beijing.

Considering all the above mentioned strategies, India would also have to bear in mind that seeking the help of Japan and US in setting up an undersea wall, could have its own implications. India would have to be more open to sharing sensitive maritime information with both the US and Japan. Chances are that the Indian Navy would not be too comfortable with such an arrangement. Also given that most hydrophones are connected online, there is a sizable chance that data could be misused in a way. However, one cannot deny the Japanese expertise in working with sea-based sensors. This could thus prove to come to India's advantage. But the pros and cons of such an association need to be weighed by the Indian government.

Pic Courtesy-Max Kukurudziak at unsplash.com

(The views expressed are personal.)