Chapter XII 



STRENGTHENING MILITARY PROGRAMS 

 FOR NATIONAL SECURITY 



Seapower in its broadest sense is indispensible to the achievement of the 

 Nation's broad security, foreign policy, and economic and social goals. Free- 

 dom of the seas must be maintained to protect the United States from attack, 

 to sustain our allies, to project our military power by sea when necessary, and 

 to protect ocean commerce. The mobility and concealment provided by sea- 

 based strategic nuclear forces makes them more survivable than fixed systems. 

 Sea-basing tactical forces, such as attack carrier, antisubmarine warfare, and 

 amphibious striking groups, offers a valuable alternative to the use of overseas 

 bases. 



The marine science programs of the Department of Defense, and par- 

 ticularly those of the Department of the Navy, are designed to provide 

 the ocean science, engineering, development and operational techniques 

 required for the conduct of assigned national security missions throughout 

 the m.arine environment. Military marine science programs are thus directed 

 toward enhancing U.S. capabilities for strategic deterrence, antisubmarine 

 operations, support of amphibious operations, mine warfare, surveillance 

 of the oceans, operations to protect essential shipping, and limited ground 

 action. 



Antisubmarine warfare, however, more than any other form of naval 

 operations, is critically dependent upon oceanographic conditions. The 

 Navy's work in this field typifies the application of oceanography to practical 

 problems — the quest for scientific insight through research; improvement 

 of equipment, data facilities, and techniques through development efforts; 

 operational utilization, coupled with progressive system improvements; and 

 finally, relation of benefits to nonmilitary programs. 



The first antisubmarine warfare (ASW) application of underwater acous- 

 tics occurred in 1914 with the use of listening hydrophones to detect enemy 

 submarines, and about the same time, echo ranging was used in attempts to 

 detect icebergs. After a half-century, sonic ranging (active sonar) and 

 listening (passive sonar) are still the backbone of antisubmarine warfare. 

 The increasing sophistication of detection and weapon systems amplified 

 their dependence on environmental information, particularly water tem- 

 perature, to a level which could no longer be disregarded. This dependence 

 led first to the development of the bathythermograph, which rapidly samples 

 the thermal structure, and then to the application of statistical, atlas-type 

 environmental information, to the prediction of sonar detection conditions. 



167 



The sonar dome on the bow of U.S.S. Belknap (DLG-26) encloses the 

 AN/SQS-26 transducers. Effective operation of long-range sonars defjetids 

 upon a knoivlcdge of oceanographic conditions. 



