Are two subs enough? Malaysia's small submarine force and lessons from strategic history. Issue 4 (1st October 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Leong, Adam Kok Wey
• Is Part Of: Australian journal of maritime and ocean affairs. Volume 8:Issue 4(2016)
• Page Start: 298
• Page End: 307
• Publication Date: 2016-10-01
• Subjects: Royal Malaysian Navy -- Malaysian defence policy -- Malaysian maritime strategy -- submarine -- underwater warfare -- naval strategy; Maritime law -- Australia -- Periodicals; Maritime law -- Indo-Pacific Region -- Periodicals; Law of the sea -- Australasia -- Periodicals; Law of the sea -- Indo-Pacific Region -- Periodicals; Shipping -- Australia -- Periodicals; Shipping -- Indo-Pacific Region -- Periodicals; Maritime law -- Periodicals; Shipping -- Periodicals; Periodicals; 341.45
• DOI: 10.1080/18366503.2016.1244735
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1836-6503

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) has just recently acquired a two-submarine force and is one of the new submarine operators in the South East Asia region. While criticism had been levelled on the usefulness of two submarines and far from the ideal minimum quantity, lessons from strategic history highlighted that even a single submarine can still yield immense strategic effects in this age of modern warfare. This article highlights the only two submarine operations after the end of World War II that had managed to sink an enemy warship, and uses these two cases to distil strategic lessons. These two lessons are the sinking of INS Khukri by PNS Hangor during the 1971 India–Pakistan War, and the sinking of ARA General Belgrano by HMS Conqueror during the 1982 Falklands War. This article argues that while the RMN has a limited number of submarines, lessons from recent wars however had demonstrated that even a sole submarine can still yield tremendous strategic effect.