China's growing submarine force is 'armed to the teeth' — and the rest of the Pacific is racing to keep up

REUTERS/China Daily

• Countries in East Asia, led by China, have been pursuing a military buildup for years.
• Submarines, flexible platforms with strategic uses, have been a particular focus.
• Uncertainty about the balance of power in the region has stoked countries' pursuit of military hardware.

In October 2006, a Chinese Song-class diesel-electric submarine capable of carrying torpedoes and antiship missiles surfaced within firing range of the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk.

"Some navy officers interpreted it as a 'Gotcha!' move," journalist Michael Fabey wrote in his 2018 book, "Crashback." It was "a warning from China that US carrier groups could no longer expect to operate with impunity."See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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