NATO is stepping up its anti-submarine warfare game — this flying hunter is key, top admiral says

NATO forces have seen noticeable improvements in anti-submarine operations in recent years, due in part to investments in more capable technology and surveillance platforms, a top US admiral told Business Insider on Wednesday.

Adm. Stuart Munsch, the commander of US Naval Forces Europe-Africa, said that NATO has become increasingly involved and proficient in anti-submarine missions in the Atlantic Ocean and in the High North region.

“They’re to be applauded for their efforts,” Munsch told BI during a phone interview from Iceland, where a US nuclear-powered submarine just made a historic first port visit. “That is one thing that has changed — I would say quite noticeably — over time.”

The US and its NATO allies are increasingly concerned about Russia’s growing military activity, including its underwater presence, around the North Atlantic and Arctic regions.

Western officials in recent years have drawn attention to Russia’s submarine activity around the European continent, making it critical that NATO has the appropriate tools and systems to track these vessels and counter them if needed.

Munsch said anti-submarine warfare is one of the hardest missions to execute in naval operations. The tasks are highly complex, personnel involved need to be highly proficient in the systems, and the technology must be tough and resilient to work effectively in the undersea environment.

Russia has very capable submarines, such as the Yasen-class submarines, that are very difficult to track, making missions to keep tabs on their boats even more challenging. These assets represent real threats to NATO, so the alliance monitors the subs closely.

“With the purchase of new ships and aircraft, and equipment, the technology has gotten progressively better among allies, and then bringing that all together with exercises,” Munsch said. “So, in the realm of naval aviation, it supports anti-submarine warfare.”

Munsch specifically singled out an uptick in the procurement of the P-8 Poseidon by several NATO allies. The plane is a highly capable multi-mission maritime patrol aircraft made by American aerospace company Boeing and developed for the US Navy to replace the P-3 Orion.

The P-8, a derivative of the civilian 737-800, can carry out anti-submarine warfare, maritime patrol, and reconnaissance missions. It is equipped with advanced technology, such as a synthetic aperture radar, an infrared sensor turret, and heightened acoustic capabilities. The aircraft carries sonobuoys and can also be armed with torpedoes and anti-ship missiles.

In addition to the US, which flies dozens of P-8s, the UK, Norway, and Germany all collectively operate a handful of these aircraft. Canada, another ally, will join them in the coming years.

NATO countries operating the P-8 also share their facilities, and even though Iceland doesn’t fly the aircraft, the country allows the alliance to use its bases for deployments and maintenance, making it easier for operators to work together, Munsch said.

Last year, for instance, Germany and the UK signed a key defense pact that will see Berlin periodically operate its P-8s out of a Royal Air Force base in Scotland, from which they will conduct patrols over the North Atlantic.

Munsch said that the ability for the US to collaborate with NATO allies on high-end naval warfare “has gone up significantly” compared to that of previous years, and that is a major advantage.

He said these efforts are not necessarily a reflection of anything new. Russia has been engaged in aggressive behavior for years now, especially from the onset of its initial 2014 invasion of Ukraine, and procuring large platforms like aircraft is a yearslong process. But it is coming together more noticeably to boost capability.

Amid a surge in defense spending since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, NATO militaries have also made more recent purchases directly driven by war, such as uncrewed and autonomous systems.

The P-8s are just one of many tools that the US and NATO militaries have to monitor Russia’s submarine force, one of the largest fleets in the world, with an estimated 64 active vessels capable of carrying powerful cruise and ballistic missiles.

Western forces can also track Russia with their own submarines, as well as helicopters and patrol vessels, which the UK demonstrated just a few days ago. Meanwhile, drones are increasingly proving capable of underwater surveillance missions.

“The Russians recognize that much of their status and influence in the world stems from their military activity,” Munsch said, adding that Moscow’s submarine force is among its greatest strengths.

When Russia “had significant budget problems after the Cold War, among the things that they did focus on maintaining was their ability to operate in the undersea environment,” Munsch said.

That, he added, is partly “why the United States Navy maintained our proficiency and our operations the way that we did, to make sure that we were always in a position that we could counter whatever Russia might be doing.”

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