The U.S. Must Produce UAV ASW Escort Carriers to Counter PLAN Subs

During the Cold War (1945-1989), the U.S. Navy possessed Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Hunter-Killer Groups centered around converted Essex-Class carriers designated “CVS”.  Their purpose being to hunt down Soviet submarines in the event of war.[1]  Our Navy has a tradition of carrier based ASW teaming, but for Cold War II we have no dedicated ASW aircraft carriers.  As Beijing’s shipyards continue to pump out more advanced and capable submarines, we must relearn old habits which were not necessary in our post-Cold War unipolar world. 

The Navy should invest in several unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) light aircraft carriers (CVQ) capable of high speed and attrition.  The CVQ’s purpose would be to hunt down marauding People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) submarines within the second island chain and beyond, protecting logistics centers and bases critical to the sustainment of a joint campaign.  Beyond a near peer conflict, these units would be able to operate precise and persistent strike ISR upon violent extremist organizations (VEOs) from mobile air bases close to their shores, without the need for status of forces agreements.

According to the 2023 Department of Defense report to Congress on “Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China”, “The PRC launched two SHANG III (Type 093B)-Class guided missile nuclear attack submarines (SSGN) between May 2022 and January 2023 and could have three hulls of this class operational by 2025.  This new SHANG-class variant will enhance the PLAN’s anti-surface warfare capability and could provide a clandestine land-attack option if equipped with land-attack cruise missiles (LACM).”[2]  These new SSGNs could render many Allied units operationally paralyzed in the opening stages of conflict in the Pacific.

The new PLAN SSGNs can be found, fixed, and finished (F3) if they tread deep into the Allied rear areas of the Central Pacific prior to the decision for war where their launch distance and reaction time upon their targets can be minimized to full effect if intermixed with other boats attempting to make trouble as far east as the U.S. West Coast and Panama Canal.[3]  The utilization of the remotely piloted aircraft and the recent demonstrations of carrier landings by General atomics’ “Mojave” short takeoff and landing (STOL) UAVs on the HMS Prince of Whales (R09) could tip the defensive ASW fight.[4]  These new STOL aircraft could be organized into Unmanned Composite Squadrons (VCQ). 

According to the recent series of the U.S. Naval Institute’s Proceedings’ The War of 2026 scenario articles, our surface fleet and airborne manned ASW forces will be stretched thin and tasked with bringing hard punches against the PLAN at bursts of missile and long range fire salvos.[5]  As the joint force contemplates both the land based air and naval based air contributions to saturating the Taiwan Strait, we must examine PLA capabilities they may use to impede our joint capabilities to provide mutual support. Our submarines will be busy attempting to mine or torpedo enemy shipping crossing and guarding the straits.  These hunter killer groups could also protect Allied commerce while also suppressing PLA Maritime Militia craft and enemy shipping lanes beyond the Western Pacific.  The introduction of escort-like carriers with composite squadrons of ASW kitted UAVs could assist our threat-based acquisition needs. 

We have the opportunity, now, to begin the conversion process to train, organize, and equip carrier UAV ASW units as we progress through the “Davidson Window.”  Similar to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Admiral William F. “Bull” Halsey’s pre-war call for escort aircraft carriers, our joint force may once again relearn lessons hard learned in blood before we say that we wished we had acted earlier.[6]  With these new “jeep carriers”, the Americans could provide a rapid, mobile, and attrition friendly asset capable of conducting efficient and deadly ASW and airborne mine sweeping operations enabling the rest of the joint force to fight and win.[7] 

 

Sources Consulted:

Willis, Grant T. “Subsurface Threats to Future Allied Conflict.” Consortium of Indo-Pacific Researchers, June 27, 2023. https://indopacificresearchers.org/subsurface-threats-to-future-allied-conflict/.

“DOD 2023 Annual Report on Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China.” U.S. Department of Defense. Accessed December 10, 2023. https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3561549/dod-releases-2023-report-on-military-and-security-developments-involving-the-pe/. Pg 55-56.

“Entering Phase III of the American Sea Power Project.” U.S. Naval Institute. Proceedings Podcast. YouTube, December 4, 2023. https://youtu.be/hTgOeRvOHLI?si=vtZx-ssqyvnFzXVJ.

Lariosa, Aaron-Matthew. “U.K. Carrier HMS Prince of Wales Launches, Recovers Mojave Drone.” USNI News, November 17, 2023. https://news.usni.org/2023/11/17/u-k-aircraft-carrier-hms-prince-of-wales-launches-recovers-mojave-drone.

Toti, William, CAPT USN (Ret). “You Can’t Win without (More) Submarines.” U.S. Naval Institute, December 1, 2023. https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2023/december/you-cant-win-without-more-submarines.

Morison, Samuel Eliot. History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2011. Pg 37-42

Winnefeld, James A. ADM USN(Ret). “Mine Warfare Could Be Key.” U.S. Naval Institute, December 7, 2023. https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2023/december/mine-warfare-could-be-key.

Author Bio:

Lieutenant Willis is an U.S. Air Force RPA pilot stationed at Cannon AFB, NM and a Fellow with the Consortium of Indo-Pacific Researchers (CIPR).  He is a distinguished graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s AFROTC program with a B.A. in International Affairs, with a minor in Political Science.  He has multiple publications with the Consortium, United States Naval Institute’s (USNI) Naval History Magazine, Air University’s Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs (JIPA), and Air University’s Wild Blue Yonder Journal.  He is also a featured guest on multiple episodes of Vanguard: Indo-Pacific, the official podcast of the Consortium, USNI’s Proceedings Podcast, and CIPR conference panel lectures available on the Consortium’s YouTube channel.

Associated Pictures/Descriptions:

Figure 1: https://breakingdefense.com/2023/11/uk-royal-navy-completes-mojave-uas-flight-and-recovery-from-prince-of-wales-aircraft-carrier/