The U.S. Navy plans to extend its electromagnetic warfare tools and capabilities by investing in longer-range targeting tools to help submarines operate effectively.
“While the Navy has tried to achieve long-range targeting by submarines in the past and wasn’t able to overcome technology obstacles, we think we’re on the cusp of getting to it with our new technologies. But it’s not going to do me a lot of good to have a target-quality solution with a weapon that can go do something that I’ve been ordered to do if I’m waiting for permission to fire because my command and control networks aren’t in a position to let me go do that,” Rear Adm., Charles Richard, said.
Submarines would also need more ways to engage with targets.
“I see a future that has, to use that Pentagon term, ‘competition short of war.’ We’re not exactly at peace with somebody, but we’re not exacting winging guided missiles back and forth at each other just yet. So what can we offer combatant commanders in these type of environments? Again, I’m going to overstate it for effect just a little bit, but right now in some cases, it’s, ‘boss, you want a picture? I can get you a picture. You want me to blow it to smithereens? I can blow it to smithereens,’” Richard noted.
Richard also told USNI News that “this problem is especially applicable to the Pacific, where the ‘competition short of war’ scenario could easily arise. The Navy needs to think about what capabilities it wants in that situation to accomplish a commander’s mission.”
The Navy will also need to figure out how to leverage the electromagnetic spectrum while under water. “The electromagnetic spectrum looks potentially very attractive in your ability to put an effect on a target to perhaps neuter its capabilities, to otherwise make it ineffective for what it’s doing there. With a reversible effect on it without going all the way to a level of violence that may not be appropriate,” Richard said.
Other developments that would increase the Navy’s under-water advantage include battlespace acoustics, command and control for undersea systems and payloads for countermeasure and decoys.
