Seabed warfare

Seabed warfare is undersea warfare which takes place on or in relation to the seabed.

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Seabed warfare is defined as “operations to, from and across the ocean floor.”^[1]

In general the target of seabed warfare is infrastructure in place on the seabed such as power cables, telecom cables, or natural resource extraction systems.^[2][3] Seabed warfare capabilities are expensive and because of that significant capabilities are only possessed by major powers.^[4]

Conflicts on the seabed can be both conventional and unconventional, the latter encompassing non-kinetic approaches such as lawfare.^[5]

France has integrated seabed warfare into their military strategy with the concept of Seabed Control Operations which involves expanding their existing mine warfare and hydro-oceanography capabilities to deal with a more comprehensive spectrum of threats.^[6]

The American Block VI Virginia-class submarines will include the organic ability to employ seabed warfare equipment.^[7]

The Russian submarine Losharik is thought to be capable of seabed warfare.^[8]

The Chinese HSU-001 is a small UUV, speculated to be optimized for seabed warfare.^[9]

• Naval mine
• SOSUS
• Anti-submarine warfare