Pentagon No. 3 hails subs as ‘indispensable’ to deterring foes in Pacific

The U.S. Navy’s submarines are an “indispensable” part of the U.S. arsenal when it comes to deterring adversaries in the Pacific, the Pentagon’s policy chief told an industry audience this week.

Elbridge Colby, the undersecretary of defense for policy, didn’t mention China before the audience of submarine contractors and Navy officials on Thursday in an address to the Naval Submarine League, an industry group. But the reference was unmistakable. 

“In a region defined by distance and maritime geography, submarines complicate an adversary’s plans in ways few other capabilities can even approach,” Colby said. “Moreover, as the sea surface becomes more observable and more contested, the undersea domain takes on even greater strategic value.”

Next week, U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will hold their third summit this year on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.

Colby said the “silent service” is crucial when it comes to denying an adversary control of the “first island chain” encompassing Japan, Taiwan, portions of the Philippines and Indonesia. 

He said U.S. attack submarines play an “outsized role” in helping undermine the confidence of geopolitical rivals in securing a quick, decisive military victory in operations at or across large bodies of water — a possible reference to deterring any Chinese move against Taiwan.