The Global War on Terror has gelled as a bloody slugfest in which information is power and perceptions are everything. Many terrorist activities take place in or near coastal population centers, span littorals, and transit oceans and seas. This new type of fighting — assymetric and amorphous — has required the constant updating of traditional submarine missions and the definition of whole new missions. Many of these taskings were virtually unheard of in their present guise as recently as 2000, but now are increasingly commonplace. And beneath a cloak of deep secrecy, the Silent Service brings home the bacon time after time.
The proliferation of modern diesel boats, some equipped with air-independent propulsion, has shifted the emphasis of anti-submarine warfare in the early 21st century. The strenuous perfecting of the difficult shallow-water and blue-water ASW tasks continues apace, not only to protect our military and commercial shipping assets underway, but also to prevent terrorists and rogues from traveling from their littorals to our littorals. Cooperative multi-national exercises demonstrate that the best weapon against an enemy diesel sub continues to be an American nuclear sub.
Because the opposition in the war against terror consists of sub-state and trans-state bad actors, aided sometimes by regimes or factions within pariah states, the mapping of hostile command and control infrastructures — which redesign themselves constantly and relocate frequently — is particularly important. For the same reason, unconventional weapons of mass destruction indications and warnings need high priority. These intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions are roles for which U.S. Navy subs proved decisive against the USSR, a legacy of skills and achievements directly relevant to combating global Islamofascism.
The anti-surface warfare mission has taken on new dimensions, too, from brown water through green water to blue water. Piracy is a significant detriment to worldwide good order and thriving commerce. Modern pirates operate in littoral areas that are frequently hotbeds for terrorism; their activities and personnel overlap. Suppressing piracy yields dividends against terror. One means of unconventional WMD delivery is a cargo ship. Al Qaeda reportedly controls as many as two dozen vessels worldwide. Constantly monitoring, tracking, and taking down terrorist Q-ships is vital. Terrorism gets funds from illicit traffic in drugs, conventional weapons, and human beings. Interdiction of contraband trade provides an immediate, powerful way to sever enemy logistics, disrupt enemy attacks, and produce indispensable intelligence to plan more counter-terror efforts. Subs are ideal for quietly staking out and policing the nautical communications arteries used by evildoers, helping efficiently vector in surface and airborne forces as required.
Especially when equipped with next generation undersea and aerial mini-vehicles, nuclear subs possess unique capabilities to clandestinely identify, eavesdrop on, trail, and even interdict a broad spectrum of threats. Their crews provide our nation with sustained covert access into very shallow waters seamless with all-weather presence out to far past any international limits. The Silent Service perfected indispensable skills in the Cold War, and beneath a cloak of deep secrecy is plying them urgently, daily, during the Global War on Terror.
(Photo: One of three Russian-built Kilo Class submarines in service with the Iranian Navy.)
– Joe Buff
Lots of comments like Joe’s are hitting various websites.……The one point to remember is that D/E boats and even the new AIP equipped boats all make noise when they re-charge their batteries.….they’re quiet when they’re sitting and lying in wait.….but, to get the job done it takes fast nukes with more crew and on board capacity to operate all the new electronic gear (network centric sharing etc.) on board, get the info needed to combat terrorists, and hit them where they live and hide if necessaary and then “get outa Dodge” at high speed. Yes, there’s a place for D/E boats, for some countries they’re
an important/critical part of the 21st century naval weapon system option…they play a role in denial of access, rather than taking over,or co-opting, the role of SSNs, SSGNs and boomers in taking the war to the enemy’s littorals.
The Global War on Terror?
I couldn’t have answered better myself:
http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2008/01/war_on_terror_o.html
Interesting Joe that you would feature a photo of an Iranian Navy submarine. Iran’s defense utilizes submarines in a traditional role, within its conventional naval force. While the Pasdaran (IRGC) has recently been identified as a terrorist organization by the US government, the Iranian Navy is not categorized as such. Technically, potential USN targeting of these submarines is not an element of the GWOT.
I like to hear diverging viewpoints and all. even from those who i sharply disagree with. and i hold a great admiration for the sub service and their capabilities. but this is sales pitch or press release or advertising copy. this would make a great brochure at a weapons show.
oh. subs can’t defeat terror. they are really good at blowing up things, especially ships. and their cruise missiles go boom well and SEALS are good at making things go boom.
I like to hear diverging viewpoints and all. even from those who i sharply disagree with. and i hold a great admiration for the sub service and their capabilities. but this is sales pitch or press release or advertising copy. this would make a great brochure at a weapons show.
oh. subs can’t defeat terror. they are really good at blowing up things, especially ships. and their cruise missiles go boom well and SEALS are good at making things go boom.
I agree with Greg. This is a peculiar post reiterating the littoral war spiel I have heard over and over again in defense sector corporate videos. “Many terrorist activities take place in or near coastal population centers, span littorals, and transit oceans and seas.” Well, yes, so do many film making activities, banking activities and fashion design activities. Are we meant to believe this makes submarines helpful in any of those industries? I would also appreciate some corroboration of your claim American SSNs remain the best weapon against new SSKs. I recently defended the role of SSNs in serious blue water navies — the USN and the Royal Navy specifically — and could use some rhetorical ammo. As an unsubstantiated assertion, the claim does not do much to support your argument; whatever that might be.
Joe Buff has his own Web site, which reproduces the essays he has written for Military.com.
Re his assertion modern SSNs are the best defense against nonnuclear subs, you’ll find the following articles much more specific:
http://www.joebuff.com/essay77.htm
http://www.joebuff.com/essay79.htm
http://www.joebuff.com/essay122.htm
Joe Buff has his own Web site, which reproduces the essays he has written for Military.com.
Re his assertion modern SSNs are the best defense against nonnuclear subs, you’ll find the following articles much more specific:
http://www.joebuff.com/essay77.htm
http://www.joebuff.com/essay79.htm
http://www.joebuff.com/essay122.htm
Joe Buff has his own Web site, which reproduces the essays he has written for Military.com.
Re his assertion modern SSNs are the best defense against nonnuclear subs, you’ll find the following articles much more specific:
http://www.joebuff.com/essay77.htm
http://www.joebuff.com/essay79.htm
http://www.joebuff.com/essay122.htm
maybe a few Iranian subs should “dissapear”? they got hit by mines, ah, they shot at a US boat and the torpedo circled back and blew it up…GET RID of them. Tell them ANYTHING, but the truth-we decided enough was enough and we sunk ur subs…wat they gonna do? Yeah, they will march, beat up thier faces and such, but we will not have to worry about submarines any longer. DO It!!!!!!!
Did I miss something? Is the GWOT the only thing we need to worry about for the next 40 years? I suppose some think we can just do without SSNs, close the yards, and then what? Buy our SSNs from China when we inevitibly discover “uh, I guess we needed them after all”?
The whole “subs delivering SEAL teams” justification is just silly. Buy them airline tickets (works for our enemies), have them HALO in, anthing. Save a billion dollars.
Frankly a team of SEALS/Delta etc really don’t accomplish much. Wars are won by the big batallions.
The terrorists are in normal places,just as much
as the rest of their countries.Therefore,fear which causes confusion/bad conscienceness or clouded abilities,is all known by them and is being perfected in their own ways etc.And it’s called in Greek“Akouo or dpthong!” Akouo=to hear
and dpthong=water depth measuements etc.It should
be called bisuche(two-souled,schitzo!)
All things are the memories, before all things have been imprinted in my mind, the friends all have left the 2moons, sometimes before when the sleeping I often think of the previous screen, together with friends upgrade, earn the 2moons dil and together play with friends, playing now I also feeling some tired, I do not know what things I persist in
they often like to ask something about the players looks like, family, and in the game can earn how much 2moons gold, I do not know these people are playing the game or game play them. Some people often put some picture to the Internet, she thought that this way can let people feel humiliated, but I think they are wrong
Like person calm down and slowly the feeling of thinking, I need thinking of by myself; the tears filling my eyes, my heart have nothing, I feel that o lose the all things, the world already give up me, the lingering shadow of shaking in my face, in order to play this game I spend money to buy the flyff penya, the BB again left me at the same time, same situation when I hard to get it, my angry can not use the words describe, if I was not operated for a full and the lack of time, then I do not have any words to say, but last time also like this.
Other players can, I think I can too, many players said that BB can let us get more flyff gold, if you do not have enough flyff gold in the game, and then you can not do many things, in the reality world also like this. But I more like through my effort to get the success, that success can let me memorable forever.
I think for you it is easy, do not have enough fiesta Gold, the game screen was clear and concise, in the game the monster were very lovely, the visual effect of the game is good too, they can point conversion, compared humanity!65
But they can’t find terrorists on the sea’s of Afrika ? Waste of money and energy.Hence our economy and espies.