China has proposed the establishment of a 'robot fortress' in disputed areas of the South China Sea.
According to a report by the Hong Kong South China Morning Post on August 20, researchers from the China Coast Guard published a paper in July in a defense industry journal, 'Command and Control and Simulation,' which is overseen by China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation.
The researchers argued for the need to develop a new defense system utilizing unmanned systems to respond to the increasingly complex security environment in the South China Sea and the threat of low-cost unmanned platform swarm attacks. They stated that connecting various unmanned systems deployed in the air, sea, and underwater into a single network would enhance surveillance capabilities and enable rapid responses.
The paper pointed out that existing personnel-centered alert systems are cost-ineffective and lack long-term operational capabilities. It cited Ukraine's use of the unmanned surface vessel 'Maguira V5' to attack the Russian Black Sea Fleet as a notable example. Ukraine successfully targeted large manned Russian warships with relatively inexpensive unmanned vessels. To prevent similar situations, the researchers suggested that China should build robot fortresses instead of relying on manned ships.
China reportedly conducted tests last July in the northern South China Sea, simultaneously operating unmanned systems in maritime, aerial, and underwater domains. Based on this, the researchers proposed the creation of a closed unmanned system to defend islands and reefs, integrating the 'OODA Loop'—Observe, Orient, Decide, Act—developed by U.S. Air Force Colonel John Boyd.
Meanwhile, China is also accelerating infrastructure development in the South China Sea. On August 19, Reuters reported that satellite imagery analysis indicated the completion of the first phase of construction at Antelope Reef in the Spratly Islands, where an artificial island has been established, raising concerns about its potential evolution into a large military base.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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