Only six countries have nuclear submarines. Does Europe need more? Answer from a defense expert

As tensions between world powers deepen, European leaders are increasingly interested in new and high-tech military systems, including nuclear submarines. In the context of rising tensions with Russia, a defense expert is analyzing whether Europe needs more such special vessels, according to Euronews.com.

Although nuclear submarines can be very effective in surveillance and infiltration missions, they are not necessarily suitable for the type of conflicts Europe is currently facing, says Hans Liwang, professor of defense and security systems sciences at the Swedish Defense University. However, these submarines have an important role in Europe's defense strategy, the expert also told EuroNews.

Currently, only six countries possess nuclear submarines: France, the United Kingdom, the United States, Russia, China and India.

The term “nuclear submarine” refers to either a submarine powered by a nuclear reactor or a submarine carrying nuclear warheads, regardless of how it is powered.

Nuclear-powered submarines use the heat from an onboard reactor to generate steam and spin turbines, giving them extraordinary autonomy. They can stay underwater for months at a time and only have to surface to get food and water for their crew, making them much harder to detect.

“The availability of this enormous amount of energy over a long period of time is the key factor that makes them important for countries that have nuclear submarines,” said Professor Hans Liwang.

“The Geographical Problem”

Recently, nuclear submarines have attracted more and more attention. Last week, French military forces opened fire on unidentified drones flying over a nuclear submarine base in Brittany.

In November, the US government said it would support South Korea in building nuclear attack submarines to counter North Korea – a significant policy shift given that Washington has for decades avoided the spread of naval nuclear propulsion technology.

The United States has long restricted the transfer of nuclear propulsion technology to Britain, which it has assisted since 1958. In 2021, it also opened access to Australia.

Last month, Russia launched a new class of nuclear submarines, called the Khabarovsk, which Liwang says “we have to assume can carry nuclear weapons.”

But nuclear submarines are not necessarily suitable for the kind of conflicts Europe is currently facing, the expert believes.

When we think of the war in Ukraine, for example, the most important battlefield for Europe and NATO allies is the land and sea one, which is usually “shallower and closer to shore,” Liwang said. That means developing a “nuclear submarine is not the Navy's core business,” he added.

The expert said the shallow waters and limited geography of the Baltic region make it difficult for such vessels to operate undetected. At the same time, missions in the deeper Mediterranean do not typically require the size, endurance or complexity of a nuclear-powered submarine.

An important role in Europe's defense strategy

Liwang says Europe is doing well without having to invest in deploying more such submarines. “For most European countries, it is much more important to have more conventional submarines than to have the special capabilities of these submarines.”

Nuclear submarines also present practical challenges. Their reactors take up a lot of space inside the ship, and refueling them can take up to a year because they have to be disassembled to replace the old fuel source with a new one.

However, the expert believes that these submarines have an important role in Europe's defense strategy, especially in terms of operations in the far Atlantic, given that Russia's hybrid warfare tactics pose a greater threat to European territories such as Greenland and Iceland.

“I think it is necessary to ensure that European countries can play a role in defending the Atlantic,” Liwang said.

While the defense and security professor does not see nuclear submarines as an urgent priority for Europe, he said recent developments around the world may have knock-on effects on Europe's security environment.

“The nuclear submarine is rather a means of demonstrating power at the global level,” the expert said. “Countries like Russia have this kind of view, and this of course affects their position towards the US. And of course Russia's position towards the US affects how the US acts in Europe,” he concluded.