Beijing has deployed advanced sensors across the world's oceans and in space with a single strategic aim: to eventually track every U.S. submarine on the planet. The effort, part of a broader campaign to erode American maritime superiority, is detailed in thousands of PLA procurement documents reviewed by Georgetown University researchers.
The study, published in Foreign Affairs by Sam Bresnick, Emelia S. Probasco, and Cole McFaul of Georgetown's CSET, describes how the PLA is applying AI "to diminish U.S. advantages in space and at sea," as "Hvylya" reports.
China has built a network of ocean-based and space-based sensors designed to "map and monitor undersea activity," with the explicit goal of "tracking U.S. submarines around the globe." Alongside the sensor network, the PLA is experimenting with an array of autonomous underwater vehicles, adding another dimension to its maritime AI push.
The antisubmarine effort sits within a much larger transformation. The same procurement documents detail PLA investment in satellite-targeting algorithms, small robots designed to attach to and disable enemy satellites, and drone swarms capable of coordinating strikes autonomously. The researchers characterize the entire campaign as a "whole-of-force transformation" driven by AI.
China's strategy prioritizes rapid experimentation over waiting for breakthroughs. Many procurement requests feature short development timelines, and Beijing is directing subsidies and tax incentives at civilian technology companies to repurpose commercial products - including advances in smart manufacturing, robotics, and battery technologies - for defense use.
Previously: War Over Taiwan May Not Spiral Into WWIII - but the Escalation Risks Are Staggering.