I doubt that the US is lagging behind in littoral waters physics. The US navy Hydrographic institude spends alot of its time and money on foreign partners, underwater mapping, lease of technology and conducting its own reasearch in foreign-allied waters in close cooperation with its friends.
In my wiew the sole difference is in the nature of what the US navy was designed to fight, more specificly its submarine force. It is certainly not the plan to put nuclear powered subs in shallow waters against small electric subs.
Those who have been on nuclear attack subs know why that is not a good tactic.
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