The SSN as a Strike Platform for the Littoral Region.

Abstract

In examining SSN operations, this paper first examines the traditional roles of the attack submarine, and then the evolution of its missions over the past five years to evaluate the impact of these changes on battle group and JTF operations. The paper then compares the SSN's capability to the Spruance-class destroyer; a common surface ship that is used for strike and shore bombardment operations. This paper then focuses on the issue of sea power from a coastal state's perspective and assess whether using the SSN in a strike role as the lead element to facilitate entry of follow-on maritime forces makes sense. SSN strike operations with submarine launched ATACMS are examined in the light of littoral demands and concludes that though SSNs can be capable of delivering ATACMS, this does not make the best use of the submarine's capabilities.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 14, 1995
Accession Number
ADA310290

Entities

People

  • Peter Lyddon

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Amphibious Operations
  • Attack Submarines
  • Boats
  • Combat Areas
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Geography
  • Littoral Warfare
  • Military History
  • Military Organizations
  • National Security
  • Naval Operations
  • Naval Warfare
  • Navy
  • Rockets
  • Submarine Warfare
  • United States
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Maritime and Naval Warfare Studies
  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Missile Defense Systems.