Many submarine forces worldwide have seen the same decline in numbers undergone by the US Navy (USN) since the end of the Cold War. Blue-water roles have lost importance and new missions, especially in the littorals, have risen to take their place. In Europe, many navies have already halved their fleets or plan to retire subs to such a level over the next decade. But despite a much greater emphasis on smaller diesel attack submarines, sensor systems are sometimes even more sophisticated than on US subs.
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