Networked concepts look to square the ASW circle

摘要

A quarter of a century ago the US and its NATO allies were still committing huge amounts of time, effort and money to counter the threat then foreseen from a large and qualitatively improving Soviet submarine fleet. Continued investment of new platforms and sensors, together with regular anti-submarine warfare (ASW) training exercises and tactical development, was intended to enable NATO forces to maintain a decisive acoustic edge to 'track and trail' Soviet nuclear-powered boats in the 'blue water' expanse of the deep oceans. Today, with the Cold War an increasingly distant memory, the situation has been transformed on a number of fronts. First, the ASW battlespace has changed beyond recognition, with the emphasis now focused predominantly on operations in shallow, crowded and acoustically poor littoral regions. Second, the threat has meta- morphasised from fast, deep diving nuclear submarines to smaller, ultra-quiet diesel-electric boats equipped with increasingly sophisticated sensor and weapon systems. Third, the assets and resources once afforded to ASW have been significantly pared back as navies across the western hemisphere have disinvested in anti-submarine capability.