It's Operational Art: Employing Submarines in Third World Conflicts
Abstract
Operational commanders have seldom employed submarines in wartime as their prewar plans originally envisioned. In the aftermath of the cold war, third world conflicts involving the United States, either unilaterally of as part of coalition forces, appear more likely. Limitations aside, submarines can be a valuable component of military forces used in such conflicts if properly integrated into the operational plans. Now is the time for commanders to consider the operational factors, functions, and principles-the operational art-that must be implemented to effectively employ submarines before and during a third world conflict. This paper examines how submarines can be part of the "artistic color palette" used by commanders confronted with a third world crisis. Submarines will never be a panacea in solving a commander's wartime requirements, but often they will be part of the solution. Objective evaluation and decision making processes are impossible unless operational commanders are aware of the potential ramifications their decisions have on a submarine's contributions to joint forces. My thesis is that a commander's decision, or lack of decision, often weeks before commencement of an operation, will determine the effectiveness of the submarines under his operational control. I argue that time sensitive submarine employment decisions are frequently made too late. The paper's conclusion contains operational level findings and recommendations to enhance U.S. and allied submarine contributions in future third world conflicts.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 18, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA351713
Entities
People
- John Loye
Organizations
- Naval War College