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at the Frontlines.]
But despite prophecies to the contrary, nuclear weapons did not put an end to war. Conventional conflicts raged, and in these American SSNs contributed. As just one example, SEALs have said publicly that during Vietnam they sometimes worked in the sewers of Hanoi -- staging from U.S. Navy subs that our adversary never even suspected were there. Later, a single Royal Navy SSN, HMS Conqueror, by sinking an Argentine cruiser altered the nature and tone in the Falklands; an aggressor was punished, repulsed.
The Cold War ended. Peace seemed at hand. But it wasn't. Almost immediately after the Berlin Wall fell, Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. In the Gulf War that we and our allies fought to expel him, many of the Tomahawks used were fired from U.S. and Royal Navy subs -- their stealth cut down considerably on the enemy's warning that missiles were inbound. (During Operation Iraqi Freedom, even more of the Tomahawks launched were fired from subs.) Willy-nilly, submariners found themselves doing work once reserved for surface Sailors: naval gunfire support, except with a reach some forty times as great as an extended-range sixteen-inch shell. All of a sudden, the men who wore the Dolphins were decisively influencing events from far out in deep water to well inside the enemy's coast. Who'd've thunk it?
In the multiple wars in the Balkans, SSNs played yet another new role: detecting and helping interdict high-speed surface boats acting as gun runners. The same skills apply in the War on Drugs. So, who were the "pirates" now? Seems a tad ironic.
Full circle, yet brand new: Some pundits have argued that at the end of the Cold War, nuclear submarines became "a solution in search of a problem." Submariners, it's even been said, were compelled to manufacture novel taskings merely to justify their own continued existence. And submarines, folks would claim, were museum pieces now, relics of an era and a geopolitical line-up fading rapidly into ancient history. Boy were they wrong.
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Many present and future mission roles for the Silent Service trace back directly to things subs achieved in the past. These roles remain as essential now as they were in every prior war or peacekeeping period. If anything, with the 21st century turning out to be much more violent and unstable than expected -- and the spectrum of possible future armed conflict vastly broader than once seemed conceivable -- the missions and technologies of submarines move closer than ever to the lead-off hitter spot in preserving our way of life. (Re the clear and present danger of the major-war end of that spectrum, see my Archived "From Russia, Not Love", "The Undiscovered Country", and "Big War No More?".)
OK, enough context. Let's get down to business. Types of current and near-future submarine mission tasking include:
1. Continuing nuclear deterrence. Weapons of mass destruction proliferate -- and more countries acquire ballistic missile or cruise missile subs. See 2.
2. Indications-and-warnings against non-state terrorists, Third World pariah countries, and emerging or re-emerging rival superpowers. (Put al Qaeda, Hammas and Hezbollah, Iraqi insurgents, Syria, Iran, North Korea, China, and Russia on this multi-faceted list. Russia's Akula-IIs are very formidable SSNs -- her navy isn't down and out for the count, as some people think. In late-breaking news, Russian Navy C-in-C Admiral Vladimir Kuroyedov just announced that next year he'll put in service two modern SSBNs with brand new missiles, the Bulava-M. And China is hell-bent on acquiring a world-class blue water navy as soon as possible, including good nuclear subs.)
3. Signals interception intelligence gathering. Tapping of undersea fiber optic cables can only be done covertly via submarines -- but it can be done that way. In addition, because of peculiarities of radio propagation called surface ducting, a lurking sub can overhear message traffic to which airborne and satellite surveillance platforms may be deaf and blind. (This surface ducting phenomenon, usefully for us, is often prevalent near stubborn global hot-spots such as the Middle East and the Korean Peninsula.) The on-station dwell time of an SSN widely exceeds even that of a entire squadron of airborne drones -- plus the sub doesn't violate enemy airspace, while drones risk detection by eyeball and being shot down with their wreckage recovered, creating a rather embarrassing diplomatic incident.
4. Fleet escort assignments. Carrier strike groups, and amphibious warfare strike groups, too, need dominant nuclear-powered undersea escorts, given state-of-the-art diesel subs with air-independent propulsion proliferating worldwide.
5. Commando infiltration and exfiltration. Shadow warriors need stealthy transport to and from their op area. In some cases, the ideal or only choice is to do this by submarine.
6. Conventional deterrence through stealthy power projection onto land. This mission is achieved by submarines being invisible but powerful long-endurance "platforms in being." Their on-board weapons, Tactical Tomahawks, are fearsome things to know might be aimed your way.
7. Antisubmarine, anti-surface warship, and anti-commerce shipping intimidation or attack. The latest mod of Improved ADCAP Mark 48 torpedo, and American naval mines, are also fearsome weapons indeed. Deterrence (in item 6 too) morphs into warfighting quickly when "open fire" ROEs are received.
8. Minefield surveillance and other waterspace preparation for combined-arms endeavors. Special sonars, remote-controlled probes, and combat swimmers can locate, map, and disarm or destroy enemy mines, other physical obstacles to access, and hostile undersea sensors. This work is essential for friendly force-protection in any invasion -- and before an invasion might be required, it ensures the credibility of our deterrence threat.
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