The infographic above is from a May 2023 post, “China’s PLAN Surface and Sub Order of Battle“

The US Naval Institute News Service reports,

“China’s President Xi Jinping appointed a new Chief for the People’s Liberation Army Navy in a Monday ceremony in Beijing…Adm. Hu Zhongming…Hu was previously the PLAN Chief of Staff and is a submarine officer though details of his career are sparse, a Chinese media report in 2015 stated that Hu had a served in the PLA 92730 unit, which operates China’s nuclear submarine.”

I have not been able to confirm it, but as I recall the previous head of the PLAN was also a submariner.

It is worth noting that in October 2020 the USNI reported that China was doubling its nuclear submarine building capacity.

It appears that the Chinese intend to match or exceed the US’s normal two nuclear submarine per year build rate, while continuing to build a substantial fleet of conventionally powered air-independent submarines.

Meanwhile NORTHCOM says Russia is close to having cruise missile launching nuclear submarines cruising persistently off the US coasts.

It is becoming apparent, that in any future major conflict, submarines will be a threat, not just in distant waters, but in virtually any ocean right up to the US coast.

It is time for the Coast Guard and Navy to cooperate in redeveloping a Coast Guard role in ASW, whether it be permanently installed or containerized add-ons with Navy helicopter and personnel augmentation.